By Joe Johnson
Athens-Clarke County police on Monday were investigating the second death of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle within two days.
The first fatality occurred at about 10:39 p.m. Saturday when 52-year-old Willie James Sims of Kennedy Circle was struck and killed by a car as he walked in a travel lane of Lexington Road near Johnson Drive, according to a police accident report.
The driver, an 86-year-old Winterville man reportedly told police he did not see Sims while negotiating a slight curve in a poorly-lit section of the road.
The report noted that Sims was wearing dark clothing.
The motorist consented to having his blood drawn at the hospital for toxicology testing, police said.
The second fatal accident was announced by an alert issued by the county government at 6:47 a.m. Monday, which stated that Newton Bridge Road had been closed between North Chase street and Paradise Boulevard due to an accident,
Police spokesman Geof Gilland subsequently confirmed that police were investigating a "fatality accident" at 265 Newton Bridge Road, which is the address for Terrapin Beer Co.
"No further information is available at this time," Gilland said at 9:33 a.m.
About an hour later, Gilland said that a pedestrian was killed at that location.
The county announced at 12:03 p.m. that the roadway had been reopened, presumably after police accident reconstruction specialists finished processing the scene
.At 3:51 p.m., Gilland announced that police would not be releasing additional information about the second fatality until after the victim's next of kin have been notified.
Classic City News will update this story as more information becomes available.