An Athens woman was struck by a car Wednesday while in a marked crosswalk downtown, Athens-Clarke police said.
Misty Rowe, 28, was crossing College Avenue shortly before 8 a.m. when a car that made a left turn from East Dougherty Street hit her and knocked her to the ground, according to police.
Rowe was slightly injured, police said, but after the collision, she suffered a seizure and was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center, police said.
Police didn't know if that seizure and another one at the hospital were related to the collision.
"It was a low-speed impact," Athens-Clarke police Lt. David Coker said.
The driver, 81-year-old Willie James of Athens, was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, police said.
Even if you think you are clear and you have the right of way, always double check for cars. Be careful out there. Our thoughts are with Ms. Rowe and we hope for her speedy recovery.
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3 comments:
Meaning that I, as a pedestrian with the right of way, should always be ready to jump out of the way of motorists driving illegally?
sadly, yes. cars ALWAYS win those encounters, legal or not.
To instruct someone to "look out" or "double-check" is another way of instructing them to "yield the right of way."
As a pedestrian, I am VERY aware of the ability of a car to harm me, if driven illegally or carelessly. What I am objecting to here is not the reality that a larger mass can harm a smaller mass. I am objecting to the canonization of "Right by Might" by telling pedestrians who have the right of way to instead yield it to drivers who do not have the right of way. This is a type of blaming the victim, in my view.
To me, the best response is to remind drivers that they have the legal (and moral) obligation to double-check for pedestrians in crosswalks and to stop and wait for them to cross.
I, too, offer my best wishes to Ms. Rowe in her recovery. I also have sympathy for the driver, who I imagine is remorseful for hitting another person with a car. I hope that the driver has learned something useful from this lesson obtained at Ms. Rowe's expense.
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