Athens police are investigating after a man was hit by a commercial box truck and killed while crossing the street early Friday.
The fatal wreck occurred hours after county commissioners enacted a mandatory “shelter in place” policy to protect residents against the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
RELATED: Athens passes mandatory 'shelter in place' order to try to quell coronavirus spread
According to police, Sidney James Batchelor was crossing Atlanta Highway near Mall Access Road shortly after 3:30 a.m. when he was hit by the truck, which was traveling east on Atlanta Highway.
Athens police spokesman Lt. John Radford said Batchelor, 69, of Toccoa, was crossing the road from the RaceTrac parking lot to the Perimeter Inn Motel at the time of the crash.
The driver of the truck remained on the scene and no charges have been filed, he said.
The Motor Carrier Compliance Division was called in to inspect the commercial truck.
Batchelor’s death marks the fifth fatal crash Athens police have investigated this year.
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