Cobb County police on Thursday said they are searching for a driver accused of running over and seriously injuring a moped rider on a busy road near Smyrna.
Luis Alfonso Dominquez Cervantes, 31, of Marietta, was riding his black moped on Smyrna Powder Springs Road on Saturday afternoon when a Jeep suddenly pulled out in front of him, causing him to skid and overturn, police said. Cervantes was then struck by the vehicle near the intersection of Vineyard Way. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for injuries that were said to be serious, police confirmed.
The driver took off westbound toward Benson Poole Road. Police said the vehicle has undercarriage damage and might be abandoned or parked in the area.
It was the first of two serious crashes in the county Saturday. Later that evening, a wreck about 5 miles away on the East-West Connector in Smyrna left a 15-year-old dead.
Cobb police said the driver of a gray 2001 Ford Mustang was allegedly speeding and went onto the grass shoulder around 10:20 p.m. as he tried to navigate a right curve. He tried to steer back to the left, but the vehicle “rotated across the westbound lanes and collided with a tree in the center median,” police said.
The driver, identified as 18-year-old Garrett T. Betts of Douglasville, was seriously injured and taken to a hospital, authorities said, while his teenage passenger died at the scene. His name was not released.
Both crashes remain under investigation. Anyone with more information is asked to contact Cobb police at 770-499-3987.
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