Motorist arrested after pedestrians struck by truck in downtown Athens crosswalk

By Joe Johnson

Kevin Moreno-Cortes, 22, of West Broad Street, was arrested on the evening of March 12th after his truck struck two pedestrians in downtown Athens and he drove away.

The incident happened just before 6 pm at the intersection of Pulaski and West Broad streets where a pair of 22-year-old students were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when they were struck by Moreno-Cortes’s pickup truck.

Police said that the driver left the scene without checking on the welfare of the pedestrians, both of whom later complained of muscle pain and minor skin abrasions.

The pickup was stopped shortly afterwards by a sheriff’s deputy who detained the driver for police.

Moreno-Cortes acknowledged striking a pedestrian while turning from Pulaski onto Broad, but gave no explanation for why he left the scene.

He was arrested for failure to grant the right of way in a crosswalk and leaving the scene of an accident.