A man was struck by a FlixBus near the intersection of Memorial Drive and Pryor Street in southwest Atlanta Thursday morning, briefly trapping him beneath the bus before he was pulled free. The crash shut down the intersection, and police and the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office responded.
Witnesses Scramble as Crews Pull Man From Beneath Bus
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, crews witnessed the man temporarily trapped under the bus before he was pulled out. A wheelchair was found next to the crash site as several witnesses gathered, the station reported. One witness told FOX 5 the man was known locally as Ronnie, someone who would panhandle in the area, and said the crash happened just before 7 a.m.
Accounts of the incident's outcome differ. FOX 5 reported that the man was struck and killed by the FlixBus, but also reported that police had not released his official condition or identity.
Intersection Closed, Detours in Place
The entire intersection of Pryor Street at Memorial Drive was closed to traffic following the crash, 11Alive reported. Drivers were advised to use Peter Street or Trinity Street to get around the closure. Atlanta Police and the Fulton County Medical Examiner were spotted at the scene, according to the same report.
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed officers are investigating the crash near Memorial Drive and Pryor Street, per the station's report. It remains unclear what caused the FlixBus to strike the man, and police have not released the man's official condition or identity. The information gathered on the incident so far has come from the Atlanta Police Department, FOX 5 Atlanta crews, and witnesses at the scene.
Memorial Drive's Troubled Safety History
The stretch of roadway sits on what is known as Atlanta's High-Injury Network, a designation for streets that account for a majority of the city's serious-injury and fatal traffic crashes, according to Propel ATL. A 2019 road diet added a center turn lane.
The crash also lands amid a citywide rise in fatal traffic incidents. Atlanta has recorded 52 fatal crashes so far this year, compared with 40 at the same point in 2025, according to Civic Atlanta. Much of that increase has come from pedestrian deaths on interstates and other limited-access freeways, where fatal crashes are up by 14, while fatal crashes on city and state surface streets are actually down by two — even as pedestrian deaths on those streets rose by four. A Fatal Crash Review Commission reviewed 13 fatal crashes citywide from April through June, two of which involved Georgia State Patrol pursuits, per the same report.
FlixBus incidents have drawn scrutiny elsewhere in recent months as well. A FlixBus rolled onto its side near Route 198 on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Laurel, Maryland, according to WMAR-2 News. That bus was carrying 40 passengers traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C., one of whom sustained life-threatening injuries. The cause of that crash remains under investigation, the station reported.
No further details about the Atlanta crash's cause, the victim's condition, or any possible charges have been made public. Hoodline will update this story as official information becomes available.
