A pedestrian hit by a Gainesville police officer Tuesday night was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol and outside a crosswalk at the time of the crash, the Georgia State Patrol said.
Vickie Barber, 57, of Gainesville, faces charges in connection with the wreck, which occurred about 9:20 p.m. on Atlanta Highway at Lyman Street, according to authorities.
The GSP is investigating the crash in accordance with the Gainesville Police Department’s policy on vehicle accidents.
In a statement, the state agency said Officer Brittany Frantzreb was headed south on Atlanta Highway in her department-issued Ford Explorer when Barber tried to cross the highway from the east to the west shoulder.
“The officer was responding to assist a fellow officer involved in a physical altercation with a suspect” when the Ford Explorer struck Barber, the police department said in a separate statement.
While Frantzreb was not injured in the crash, Barber was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with serious injuries. Troopers found the woman’s pink backpack at the crash scene, which contained a plastic bag filled with assorted bottles of medications, according to an incident report obtained Friday by AJC.com.
An investigator who visited Barber at the hospital said in the report there was “a strong order of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her breath.”
Barber was charged with pedestrian under the influence and pedestrian not in a crosswalk while crossing the roadway, the GSP said. Her condition is unknown Friday.
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