MEMPHIS, Tenn — Flowers, candles and a balloon line the intersection where a man was killed over the weekend. A pedestrian hit-and-run on Summer and White Station makes one of four people killed in accidents on Summer Avenue. These all happening in less than two hours over Labor Day weekend.
“The city in general just doesn’t really respect pedestrians or cyclists if you ask me,” Samuel Hogan, a Memphian and witness of a deadly accident said. “It’s not a safe place. Raleigh-Bartlett area – there are pedestrian crosswalks, but people don’t necessarily use them.”
The second deadly car crash less than two miles away on Summer and Sycamore View, ended in flames and caught the attention of people driving by, like Samuel Hogan.
“I ran to the nearest police officer and asked him can he get his fire extinguisher out cause I’m reasonably sure they’re issued with them, and he told me to get out of the street,” Hogan said.
This pushed him and others to jump in and help any way they can.
“So, I ran over to the vehicle and seen that there were people inside and proceeded to do whatever I could at that point to get them out,” Hogan said.
Hogan works at a vape store just around the corner from the scene, so he’s all too familiar with the intensity of Summer Avenue intersections.
“Oh, that’s a really dangerous intersection,” Hogan said. “The way that Memphis drivers are kind of known to be a little more wreck-less. Summer particularly, we see a lot of accidents on summer. And then sycamore heading towards the interstate people come down that hill with a high rate of speed.”
He just wishes he didn’t have to do what he wasn’t trained to.
“I proceeded to work with another bystander to figure out what the problem was,” Hogan said. “He said one of the guys was stuck so I climbed in and unbuckled him and we got him out before a cop finally showed up with a fire extinguisher, and then I had to then direct that officer how to use that extinguisher and where to direct the extinguishing, you know.”
The Memphis Police Department is still investigating these incidents and encourages anyone with details on the hit and run to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-2274.
They’re looking for a dark-colored four door sedan with front end damage to the car.