Officers struck by pickup, but OK
by Bruce Browning/Times-Georgian
Nov 10, 2012 | 4687 views | 2 2 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Two Carrollton police officers were struck by a vehicle early Saturday morning while they were investigating an earlier accident involving a pedestrian.

Officers Mario Potts and Brent Duggins suffered injuries that were not considered serious, and both were expected to be released from hospitals Saturday.

A man who was working in a grassy area alongside Bankhead Highway near Almon Road was hit by a vehicle between 9:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, said Capt. Chris Dobbs of the Carrollton Police Department. Potts and Duggins were still on the scene hours later investigating that accident when they were struck about 5:30 a.m. by a motorist who had pulled onto Bankhead from a service road, Dobbs said.

Potts was flown by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center and Duggins was taken to Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton.

“Both are as lucky as can be, and are going to be fine, injury-wise,” said Dobbs.

He said neither officer was seriously injured.

The pedestrian injured Friday night, however, was in serious condition at Atlanta Medical Center. The man was working on a patch of grass alongside Bankhead Highway near Lucky Buffet when he was hit by a vehicle driven by Luis Alonzo Castellano-Mejie, 38.

Dobbs said the vehicle driven by Castellano-Mejie left the roadway and struck the pedestrian. Dobbs said the pedestrian was not in the road when he was hit.

Castellano-Mejie faces several charges, including driving under the influence, no driver’s license, reckless driving and failure to stop at an accident with serious injuries.

“Our traffic division came in because they knew he was serious condition,” Dobbs said, referring to the pedestrian’s injuries. “They came in and blocked the roads, and shut it down with cars and blue lights. They were in the roadway, mapping the scene, diagramming and collecting the evidence.”

Dobbs said that at about 5:30 or 5:45 a.m., a motorist turned west onto Bankhead from a service road, “right where our officers were working,” and hit Potts and Duggins.

“The two officers were mapping the scene of an earlier pedestrian crash the police department had worked at that location,” said Gordy Wright of the Georgia State Patrol. “A Nissan pickup truck being driven by Paul Thomas Powers, age 60, from Carrollton, entered the barricaded area and struck the two officers.”

Wright said there was no indication that alcohol was involved. The vehicle’s windshield possibly fogged up, causing the driver to not be able to see the officers, Wright said. The crash remains under investigation.
Comments
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ebbette
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November 11, 2012
Officers - Also please get it that we are blinded by your flashing strobe-like lights on top of your cars and on the front and back. We can NOT see you standing in the middle of the road no matter how slowly we are driving! I'm tired of crawling in my car because I can't see but going so slow I can stop immediately if there is an officer in the roadway and the officer acts like I need a tongue-lashing. Most of us are NOT going to hit you but we CANNOT SEE YOU.
Frogsmom
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November 12, 2012
Amen, Amen and Amen those lights put officers in more danger than protection cause they are so blinding!