Atlanta police on Monday released video of an ATV rider suspected in a hit-and-run crash that killed his passenger.
Niani Gibson, 26, was injured May 16 when she was thrown from the back of a Yamaha Raptor after it slammed into a sedan on Metropolitan Parkway, according to police. Gibson was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries the following afternoon.
One month later, police are hoping newly released surveillance video will help to identify and locate the Yamaha’s rider.
According to an incident report, Gibson was found lying in the intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and St. Johns Avenue when police arrived on the crash scene about 8:20 p.m. She had suffered a “severe head injury,” an officer said in the report.
Traffic investigators were able to determine Gibson was on the back of an ATV traveling north when it collided with a Chevrolet Malibu headed south on Metropolitan Parkway. When the Chevrolet was making a left turn onto St. Johns, the operator of the ATV drove through the intersection and struck the side of the car, according to the report.
The man fled the scene, leaving Gibson and his ATV behind, the report states. It was the woman’s first time riding an ATV, her mother Ericka Gibson told Channel 2 Action News.
“The fact that you chose to leave her on the street,” her mother said. “Who does that? What kind of person are you?”
In a video released Monday morning, the suspect is shown pulling up to a gas station on an ATV. The video shows the man from behind and does not provide a good look at his face.
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
In a GoFundMe campaign created to help cover funeral expenses, friend Elonya Davis wrote that Niani Gibson’s passing “has left an overwhelming void in our lives with a loss so deeply felt that words mere words cannot express.”
The GoFundMe will also establish a trust fund for her four-year-old son.
“I don’t even know what justice would look like cause my baby ain’t here and (her) baby has to grow without his mommy,” Ericka Gibson told Channel 2.
Authorities have long battled to keep ATVs and motorbikes off the streets. Following a fatal ATV wreck in 2018, Atlanta police and the Georgia State Patrol announced a team effort to crack down on the vehicles, which cannot be legally driven on public roads.
“This is something that’s a nationwide issue, and it’s something we’ve seen the past several years. We’ve started seeing it again this year, especially with the warmer weather,” a police spokesman said at the time. “Typically, it’s a group that will go out and they’ll take over the street. They’ll be on the sidewalk, on the wrong side of the road. It’s not someone out having a leisurely drive.”
Drivers must be at least 16 and maintain a license to operate an ATV. Georgia ranked 12th for most reported ATV-related deaths between 1982 through 2017, with a total of 430 deaths.
Nearly two months ago, a 14-year-old driving an ATV was killed after being struck on Ga. 138 near Riverdale, Clayton County police said. He had been trying to cross the highway near Embassy Trace.
Another ATV incident during last summer’s protests badly injured an Atlanta police officer. Max Brewer returned to light-duty work in May after spending nearly a year recovering from a crash with an ATV while he was directing traffic. The impact shattered both of Brewer’s legs and caused other injuries.
Ericka Gibson said even seeing an ATV brings back the pain of losing her daughter. She now hopes to be part of the solution wiping out ATV use on public roadways.
“We have to do something about these laws cause ... nobody should have to bury their child,” she told Channel 2.
Anyone with information on the Yamaha’s rider is asked to come forward. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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