Athens-Clarke County police are encouraging people to walk with caution after three pedestrians were hit by cars within three days.
Two of the pedestrians died after being hit, and the third is in the hospital with serious injuries, police spokesman Geoffrey Gilland said.
The first collision happened about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Gilland said. Willie Sims, 52, was walking westbound on Lexington Road when he was fatally struck by a 1997 Nissan pickup truck.
Sims was wearing dark clothing at the time and the area is not well-lit, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
The 86-year-old driver from Oglethorpe County said he did not see Sims, who was hit with the front bumper on the passenger side, the Banner-Herald reported. Sims died at the scene, police said.
The second fatal incident occurred about 6:30 a.m. Monday on Newton Bridge Road, Gilland said. Filimon Ghebremehari, 34, of Dallas, Texas, was driving a tractor-trailer to make a delivery to Terrapin Brewery, Gilland said.
Witnesses told police Ghebremehari was in the parking lot trying to back his truck onto Newton Bridge Road, but was having trouble. He got out and crossed the road to survey the scene, and as he ran back to his vehicle he was hit by a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, police said.
The same day about 11:30 p.m., another pedestrian was hit on College Station Road near Research Drive, Gilland said. Mary Whiteman, 26, of Athens, was crossing the road when she was hit by a 2009 Nissan Altima, he said.
Gilland said the woman was not in the crosswalk when she was hit. She was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
“Due to the serious nature of these incidents, the ACCPD reminds pedestrians to use caution when crossing roadways,” the department said.
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