A 70-year-old Marietta man died after a car struck the motorized wheelchair he was using to cross Church Street at Tower Road just before 9:30 p.m. Monday. Landry Braxton was seriously injured in the collision and later died at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, according to police.
Marietta police said a black 2017 Toyota Camry struck Braxton's wheelchair as he crossed the street outside a crosswalk, according to Atlanta News First. The driver of the Camry stayed at the scene and cooperated with responding officers. As of publication, police had not filed any charges against the driver.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact Officer C. Henry at 770-794-5266.
A Wider Pattern of Danger for Cobb Pedestrians
Braxton's death adds to concerns about pedestrian safety across Cobb County.
Statewide, older pedestrians bear a disproportionate share of the toll. Georgians aged 65 and older made up 15 percent of all pedestrian fatalities in 2023, accounting for 45 of the state's 310 pedestrian deaths, according to the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. That same office defines “personal conveyances” to include motorized and non-motorized wheelchairs and scooters used by people with disabilities, a classification that can place wheelchair users outside standard pedestrian fatality counts in some crash data.
Cobb's Response and Marietta's Ongoing Safety Push
FOX 5 Atlanta reported earlier this year that seven pedestrians had been killed on Cobb County roads within a single 30-day span, a surge the county said it was treating urgently. Cobb's Department of Transportation told the station it conducts site visits with local law enforcement to review crossings, lighting, signage and other safety features on a case-by-case basis, and that it is collaborating with police on both enforcement and infrastructure fixes, according to fox5atlanta.com. The county also said it welcomes public feedback on where and how it can improve pedestrian safety.
The Cobb County Courier has reported that many Marietta residents rely heavily on cars because public transportation in the area is limited, a dynamic the outlet says complicates efforts to make streets safer for people on foot or in wheelchairs. The same article noted a 2025 crash that resulted in the amputation of a Kennesaw student's leg, as well as the loss of a young boy's life the previous September.
Marietta has moved on some infrastructure fixes elsewhere in the city. Atlanta News First reported in December that the city was installing two new crosswalks and a traffic signal at Atlanta Street and Waverly Way near the Marietta Square, a $400,000 project that Public Works Director Mark Rice estimated would be finished around the start of 2026. Separately, a City of Marietta notice describes a new traffic signal and signalized pedestrian crosswalks near Tower Road intended to improve access and safety for both drivers and pedestrians, though the full scope and timing of that project were not detailed in the available notice.
