RCSO looking to lower fatal pedestrian wreck numbers - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

RCSO looking to lower fatal pedestrian wreck numbers

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Gene Herrin walks across Washington Rd. at least once a day.

He says trying to dodge traffic on one of Augusta's busiest roads has led to him a few close calls.

"I thought she was going to wait for another car coming this way, and she actually went and turned in front of them, and I dove off the hood of her car," he says, remembering a recent incident.

It's that kind of dangerous behavior the Richmond Co. Sheriff's Office is looking to stop.

"The vehicle has the right of way," says Lt. Amelio Lamkin. "[Pedestrians] have to make sure they're crossing after looking both ways, doing the right thing, and not getting struck by vehicles."

Saturday night, 34 year old Robert Jones, Jr. was walking on Barton Chapel Rd. when he was hit by a car. He died later at Georgia Regents Medical Center.

It's another instance of what Richmond Co. deputies say is becoming too common an occurence.

Jones was the first pedestrian death of 2013, but in 2012, 14 pedestrians were killed.

Lamkin says it's a problem his department will take action on.

"What we're going to have to do is probably become stricter on our enforcement efforts when people are crossing the road when they shouldn't be crossing the road, and enforcement education," says Lamkin. "That's probably going to be the two main things we're going to have to do."

Herrin says he would like to see the city make changes to help pedestrians, but hopes greater police enforcement will help others like him think, and look, twice before crossing.

"You're less likely to do it next time if the police stop you," he laughs.

 

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