Cobb woman, 76, dies after moped hits concrete median

A Cobb County woman died days after crashing her moped into a concrete median, police said Tuesday.

Joan Christine Migneault, 76, of Marietta, left the south Cobb Walmart on the East-West Connector on a blue moped shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to investigators. She was traveling east near Auldyn Drive when she struck the raised concrete median at 7:14 a.m., police said.

“This collision caused the operator to be separated from the moped,” Cobb police Officer Shenise McDonald said in an emailed statement.

Migneault was seriously injured in the crash and taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, police said. She died from her injuries Sunday night.

Migneault’s fatal crash was the second in less than a week involving a moped in metro Atlanta.

On Oct. 22, a woman riding a moped on I-285 was killed after being struck by a car and then hit by a second vehicle, Sandy Springs police said. Investigators said the woman was illegally riding her moped on the interstate at the time of the crash.

State law prohibits drivers from operating mopeds on highways or any road with a speed limit faster than 35 mph, police said.

The crash that killed Migneault remains under investigation. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 770-499-3987.

GEORGIA LAWS ON MOPEDS

Mopeds are exempt from the provisions relating to the registration and licensing of motor vehicles.

Rules to operate mopeds on Georgia roads and highways:

• Must be 15 years of age and have a driver’s license, instructional permit or limited permit
• Must wear a helmet
• A tag is not required
• Every person operating a moped must obey the same traffic laws governing drivers of motor vehicles
• May not use limited access highways or other roadways where the minimum speed limit is above 35 mph.