Warner Robins police urge pedestrian safety after man hit, killed

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WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — In Warner Robins, a person was hit and killed on Watson Boulevard Friday morning. In less than two years, seven pedestrians have died in Warner Robins, and six have been on Watson Boulevard.

According to Warner Robins Police Lieutenant Eric Gossman, all of the pedestrian fatalities have taken place in darkness, or right at twilight. He says they've also happened in places you wouldn't expect pedestrians to be.

"Their clothing might of attributed to them not being seen. The locations that they're crossing is not at a crosswalk," Gossman said.

He says a tip for pedestrians if they walk a lot is to invest in a reflective vest."Because that will be picked up a lot further with the headlights even if they're not directly in front of the car," he said.

Folks say Watson Boulevard's hectic traffic rivals Atlanta's."I guess it's from everybody getting off of work, base traffic, school," said Madison Anderson.

Anderson and Aysia Lofton work at Rack Room Shoes off Watson Boulevard. They say they worry that not all drivers practice defensive driving."It almost seems as if people forget the rules of the road whenever it is time to get to point B," Anderson said.Police say pedestrian accidents tend to happen outside the marked crosswalks. Friday morning, pedestrian Clint Mullins was killed on the 2700 block of Watson Boulevard at the age of 53.

Gossman says the state has noticed the deaths and put up special lights for them to cross, but he says people aren't thinking about their own safety.

"There was a pedestrian crossing probably about 100 feet from a crosswalk, with a phone in their ear -- didn't even look," he said.

Anderson says she got into a bad car accident on this road.

"My car totaled out. It was terrible. It was a drunk driver. They were on their phone and they pulled out right in front of me, so this is definitely a dangerous road," she said.

Gossman says state law says that pedestrians have the right of way as long as they are in the crosswalk. Warner Robins has had 23 pedestrian accidents in 2021, and in 2022, less than one a month, but this year, there have already been nine -- nearly two a month.