Peachtree crosswalk where man was killed wasn’t visible enough, wife says

Atlanta city officials were instructed to remove a faded crosswalk from a busy street nearly three years before a man was struck and killed while getting lunch for his wife, his family alleges in a new lawsuit.

Pradeep Kumar Sood, 67, was hit by a pickup truck last February while crossing Peachtree Street between AmericasMart and Peachtree Center.

A portrait of Pradeep Sood is displayed along Peachtree Street on the first anniversary of his death in a pedestrian accident on Wednesday, Feb 11, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

The longtime vendor’s widow said city officials should have either repainted or removed the crosswalk, which was installed four years earlier as part of a “temporary street project.”

In 2021, the city narrowed the busy downtown thoroughfare from four lanes to two. It was part of a “shared space design” meant to encourage walking and cycling in the area, his wife said.

That project was scrapped the following year and Peachtree Street was expanded back to four lanes, but the city never removed the temporary crosswalk despite orders to do so, Sood’s widow alleges.

“Despite internal discussions and direction to deinstall the project, the city allowed faded crosswalk markings to remain in a busy downtown roadway for years, creating a hazardous and misleading condition for pedestrians and motorists alike,” she said.

Sood’s family alleges city officials knew the crossing was dangerous but failed to address concerns raised by pedestrian advocates and local business owners. The crosswalk was removed four days after Sood was killed.

At a news conference marking the one-year anniversary of her father’s death, Puja Jabbour said she’s has watched as countless others make same walk between AmericasMart and Peachtree Center.

She is still waiting for city officials to reinstall a safer, more visible crosswalk.

“It’s a natural crossing,” said Jabbour, whose family still runs a showroom at AmericasMart. “The city needs to respond to people’s natural behavior and natural tendencies.”