Spike in pedestrian crashes alarms Cobb County police

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - According to Cobb County Police, there’s been a spike in crashes that have seriously injured or killed pedestrians in the last two weeks. 

Three pedestrians were hit in a three-day span last week. 

"One life lost is one too many," said Ofc. Aaron Wilson with the Cobb County Police Department. 

That’s why a recent spike in crashes where pedestrians have been killed or seriously injured is troubling for Cobb County Police. 

"I would say it's not normal to see as many people as we have lately," Wilson said. 

Ofc. Wilson says typically they see an increase in pedestrians getting hit in the summer months when it’s warmer and there’s more foot traffic. 

"To see them getting struck and killed or seriously injured by vehicles, especially in the colder months of the year when foot traffic isn't normally high," Wilson said. 

Here's a look at those recent crashes:

• On Nov. 26, a pedestrian was hit and killed at the intersection of Austell Road and Orange Hill Drive. 
• Then on Nov. 30, a pedestrian was hit and killed trying to cross Pat Mell Road near the intersection with Benson Avenue. 
• On Dec. 5, a pedestrian was killed on Cobb Parkway in Acworth. 
• On Dec. 6, a pedestrian was killed while trying to cross Austell Road at the intersection with Hurt Road. 
• Then on Dec. 7, a pedestrian was hit and seriously injured in a crash on Sandtown Road near Westside Drive. 

The driver fled the scene, and police are looking for them. 

"We've had three in three days…these happen, unfortunately, all across Cobb County," Wilson said. 

Wilson says investigators are working on all these crashes and trying to determine if there are any similarities.

Two of these crashes involved pedestrians in crosswalks. 

He says drivers have to remember it is Georgia law to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. 

"When you're driving in an area that has a higher foot traffic, there's going to be crosswalks, and you cannot be driving through these areas speeding or distracted. Because you never know when somebody is going to be utilizing those crosswalks. So, you need to be aware that they are there and slow down," Wilson said. 

He says they evaluate areas that have seen crashes to determine whether they need to have more patrols in those areas. 

"As the police department, we want to see how could this have been prevented? Does this area need more patrol officers doing speed detection, monitoring to see if people are driving distracted? So if that means that somebody has to be written a ticket, that's much better than having to tell somebody else that their loved one was killed," Wilson said. 

He also says if you live in Cobb County and are concerned that people are driving too fast or distracted near where you live, you can call them and request more patrols in that area.