Two holiday shoppers were injured Friday after a truck struck a pole, causing it to fall on top of them in Alpharetta, police said.
The incident occurred about noon when a delivery truck in the Avalon shopping center cut a corner too close and pushed the pole onto the couple, Alpharetta police Sgt. Howard Miller said.
The couple were identified as Forsyth County residents Larry and Meri Etheridge by Channel 2 Action News. They suffered what police called minor injuries and were taken to the hospital for observation.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The woman’s sister, Leigh-Anne Best, told Channel 2 she was on the phone with Meri, who was shopping with her husband. Moments later, she got a call back from a stranger who said her sister and brother-in-law were headed to the hospital.
“Thank God they’re OK,” Best told the news station. “They just saw a truck hit the curb and the next thing they know the pole came (down.) He was flat on his back.”
Larry Etheridge told the news station the pole hit him in the head, causing a gash that required 10 stitches. Meri complained of neck pain, but her CT scan showed no major injuries.
“I literally was thinking, ‘this is it,’” she said. “It was so scary. ... All I remember seeing was two of the wheels come up onto the sidewaIk.”
They have since been released from the hospital.
Police did not cite the driver of the truck, calling it a “freak accident.”
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