A juvenile suffered critical injuries after being hit by a vehicle while attempting to cross Chupp Road near Evans Mill Drive in DeKalb County last Friday evening, according to police. Officers said the driver appears to have swerved in an effort to avoid the collision, and as of this week, no charges had been announced while the investigation continues.
DeKalb County police officers responded to the scene around 5:43 p.m. on October 30 after receiving a report that a vehicle had struck a juvenile, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Police said the child was attempting to cross Chupp Road when the vehicle struck them, and paramedics transported the juvenile to a hospital with critical injuries.
Investigators told the station that evidence indicates the driver swerved to avoid striking the child, though the crash could not be avoided entirely. Police also said there is no indication that a police chase was linked to the crash, ruling out one possible explanation for the collision.
Identity and Condition Still Undisclosed
Authorities have not released the child's identity or current medical condition, and officers have not announced any charges against the driver as the investigation remains ongoing. The DeKalb County Police Department provided its preliminary investigative details in an email statement, and the station's report notes that further updates are expected as the case develops.
The crash adds to a string of recent incidents in which juveniles have been struck by vehicles in DeKalb County, though the available evidence does not establish a broader trend linking them. In a separate case, a 13-year-old boy was hit by a car while walking home from school near the intersection of Fellowship Road and DeKalb County Road, not far from Tucker Middle School, according to WSB-TV. Witnesses told the station the vehicle dragged the boy several hundred feet before stopping, and bystanders rushed to pull him to safety.
Other Recent Crashes Near Tucker Middle School
In that incident, DeKalb County police said the driver remained at the scene, investigators were continuing to look into what led up to the crash, and no charges had been announced. A separate report from Decaturish described another Tucker Middle School student injured after being struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Fellowship Road and Elmdale Drive in Tucker.
A police spokesperson in that case said, “Officers located a juvenile (older than 10 years old) with non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle. The driver remained on scene. The investigation is ongoing.” A DeKalb County Schools spokesperson confirmed the injured child was a student at nearby Tucker Middle.
The Georgia Department of Transportation maintains a statewide crash-data dashboard that allows filtering by crash type, including pedestrian- and bicycle-involved collisions, for specific cities, counties, or regions. The tool does not establish whether pedestrian crashes involving juveniles are increasing or unusually common in DeKalb County, and no such trend has been confirmed in connection with the Chupp Road crash.
For now, the Chupp Road case remains under investigation, with police withholding the child's name and condition and no charges filed against the driver. Anyone with additional information has not yet been publicly asked to come forward, and further details are expected as DeKalb County police continue their review.
