Athens cop hits woman in crosswalk with patrol car, deputy chief says

An Athens resident was hit by a police patrol car Friday morning, police confirmed.

An Athens resident was hit by a police patrol car Friday morning, police confirmed.

An Athens-Clarke County police officer hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk Friday morning, authorities said.

The officer was in his marked patrol vehicle on his way to work when he hit a 54-year-old woman at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and North Avenue just after 6:30 a.m., Interim Deputy Chief Jeff Clark told AJC.com.

“Anytime a vehicle strikes a pedestrian in a crosswalk, that vehicle is going to be at fault,” Clark said.

He said the crosswalk isn’t marked, meaning there isn’t a signal dedicated to whether pedestrians can cross or must yield to vehicles.

“The officer was turning left with a green light but not with a green left turn signal, which means you must yield to the pedestrian,” Clark said.

The officer stopped and provided treatment to the woman, who is an Athens resident. She was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Clark said the incident was an accident, and the Georgia State Patrol was called in to investigate.

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