A man standing on a sidewalk in downtown Atlanta was struck and killed early Wednesday by a driver who never stopped. The vehicle also hit a light pole at the corner of Memorial Drive SW and Forsyth Street SW before the driver left the scene, and police are still looking for whoever was behind the wheel.
Atlanta police responded around 1:50 a.m. to the intersection, according to WSB-TV. Police said the man was on the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the intersection when the vehicle hit him and the pole. The driver left the scene immediately after the crash, police said.
Rushed to Grady, but Too Late
Grady EMS took the man to a hospital, where he died from his injuries despite lifesaving efforts, the same report states. Responding officers had found him on the sidewalk, according to 95.5 WSB, which also reported that police are reviewing surveillance footage from the surrounding area and working to identify and locate the driver.
Details remain scarce. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that police have not provided any information about the vehicle, and the pedestrian's name and age have not been released. The investigation remains active as police work to determine the circumstances of the crash and gather information about the vehicle.
A Deadly Year on Atlanta's Roads
The crash lands in a year when Atlanta's roads have grown deadlier. The Center for Civic Innovation, in a post on pedestrian deaths and fatal crashes, noted that the city has recorded 52 fatal crashes so far this year, compared with 40 at this point in 2025.
Pedestrian deaths on interstates and other limited-access freeways accounted for most of that increase; fatal crashes there were up by 14. On city and state surface streets, fatal crashes are down by two, though pedestrian deaths there are up by four, according to the same analysis.
Memorial Drive saw another pedestrian death earlier this month. On Oct. 8, officers found a 56-year-old man struck by a bus at Memorial Drive SW and Pryor Street SW, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Atlanta Police Department. Police said the preliminary investigation indicated he was crossing against a red signal and a “Don’t Walk” signal, and that charges were not anticipated at that time.
The city's Vision Zero program, administered by the Atlanta Department of Transportation, describes itself as a systems-based approach to eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries through safer street design, speed management and other strategies.
