The Gainesville Times reports that police have released dash cam footage of a woman being hit by a vehicle on Atlanta Highway. While responding to a domestic violence call on Thursday, a Gainesville Police officer struck a woman in the roadway. The incident occurred at around 9:15 p.m. 57-year-old Vickie Barber was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center with serious injuries.
On Wednesday, Gainesville Police released the dash cam footage from the vehicle that had been involved in the accident. Barber was struck as she crossed the road. Officer Frantzreb was traveling south on Atlanta Highway at Lyman Street when Barber was struck. A preliminary investigation conducted by the Georgia State Patrol led to Barber being charged with pedestrian under the influence and pedestrian not in a crosswalk. Officer Frantzreb has been with the department for 3.5 years and has been placed on standard administrative leave following the accident.
In 2018, the number of pedestrian deaths on U.S. roadways rose to the highest number since 1990. In Georgia, there were 32 more pedestrian deaths recorded in 2018 than in 2017. In the first half of 2018, there were 133 pedestrians killed on Georgia roadways. When compared to the numbers for the first half of 2017, that represents a 32 percent increase. Although the number of other traffic deaths nationwide has decreased 6% overall, pedestrian deaths as a total of car-crash fatalities rose 4%. Additionally, for the first half of 2018, five states, including Georgia, accounted for all pedestrian fatalities on roadways.
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