Helen Police Chief Involved in Pedestrian Collision While Responding to Call

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating after the City of Helen’s Police Chief reportedly struck a pedestrian with her patrol vehicle Friday night while responding to a burglary in progress call.

According to GSP, Helen Police Chief Aletha Barrett was traveling south on State Route 17/Main Street with emergency lights and siren activated when the incident occurred. Troopers say Barrett was attempting to turn left onto Yonah Road when her patrol vehicle collided with a pedestrian.

A trooper from the Georgia State Patrol’s Gainesville Post responded to the scene around 9 p.m. Friday.

Investigators say video footage obtained from an independent witness appeared to show the pedestrian was not inside the crosswalk at the time of the collision, although authorities noted he was “close to the crosswalk.”

One witness told investigators the pedestrian appeared to be walking from a nearby parking lot across the roadway toward a restaurant. The scene was photographed and documented as part of the investigation.

The pedestrian, identified as a 70-year-old man from Florida, was reported to be in stable condition as of the latest update.