Pickup truck driver slams into man and drives off, victim in critical condition
MARIETTA, Ga. - Marietta police say a 40-year-old man is fighting for his life after a driver struck him late Sunday night.
That driver, who investigators believe was in a 1995 white Ford F-150, then drove off leaving that man in the street.
It happened on Delk Road near the Interstate 75 overpass just after 11:30 p.m.
A recent hit-and-run incident along Delk Road near I-75 calls into question the safety of pedestrians in the area. (FOX 5)
"It is simply unacceptable that you will strike someone and leave the scene without even trying to render aid," said Marietta police’s public information officer Chuck McPhilamy.
Thankfully, good Samaritans pulled over and helped the victim, who investigators say is 40-year-old Oscar Sanchez of Houston, Texas.
A recent hit-and-run incident along Delk Road near I-75 calls into question the safety of pedestrians in the area. (FOX 5)
Medics rushed Sanchez to WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.
Problems for pedestrians
FOX 5 was in the area of the scene on Delk Road on Monday on the I-75 overpass, where there is no crosswalk or sidewalk for pedestrians to use.
People who rely on walking to get around the area say sometimes it feels like a game of "Frogger".
A recent hit-and-run incident along Delk Road near I-75 calls into question the safety of pedestrians in the area. (FOX 5)
"I’ll just wait till there are no cars, and then I just run," said Lamon Edwards. "It’s real dangerous."
After we spoke with him, he did just that.
Edwards hopes this latest incident leads to some changes.
"Make it easier to walk around," he said. "At least sidewalks. This street has no sidewalks."
A recent hit-and-run incident along Delk Road near I-75 calls into question the safety of pedestrians in the area. (FOX 5)
Further up the road, there is a sidewalk, but it ends before the overpass on which Sanchez was reportedly struck.
One day, several crashes
Officer McPhilamy said Sunday was a dangerous day on Marietta’s roads – part of what he sees as a dangerous trend.
On top of the hit-and-run, there were two multi-vehicle accidents that happened minutes apart shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
A recent hit-and-run incident along Delk Road near I-75 calls into question the safety of pedestrians in the area. (FOX 5)
The first accident happened in the southbound lanes of I-75 just before the S Loop. Officials all but one lane are closed while crews work at the scene.
The second accident happened on the S Loop of South Marietta Parkway just east of I-75. Most of the west lanes have been shut down.
A recent hit-and-run incident along Delk Road near I-75 calls into question the safety of pedestrians in the area. (FOX 5)
McPhilamy says it seems that of late drivers have become a lot more daring – and distracted.
"These crashes are getting worse," he said. "Speed is almost always a contributing factor. Some sort of impairment, or some sort of distraction."