Three young black men in Louisiana are facing a court date after a truck driver struck and injured them while they walked on the side of the road because police say they should have been wearing reflective clothing.
According to KATC, Deonte Williams, 21, Cody Mayes, 19, and Tevin Wilson,17, are facing misdemeanor charges while the driver walked without being cited at all.
"For me to find out that this guy gets to just go home, we all get some misdemeanors and nothing happened to him," Williams explains. "I'm upset about it."
According to the police report, the three young men were along the roadside in Evangeline Parish earlier in the week when they struck by the truck on side of the road in an area that has no sidewalks.
"I just wake up; my cousin [is] telling me, 'Don't get up,' and I was just full of blood," Williams explained. "When I wake up, I don't see nobody with the truck there. I don't see nothing, but the ambulance leaving with me."
Police claim that Williams and the teens were at fault for walking along the roadway and not wearing reflective gear. The city maintains an ordinance stating that pedestrians to wear reflective garments after dark while walking.
While police state that the driver remained at the scene until they arrive, Williams claimed that he attempted to leave the scene of the accident until people began to arrive,
“At first, he was going to keep going ... everyone started coming out of their house, but if they didn’t come out of their house, I really believe he was going to keep going,” Williams stated.
“He bumped us. He just got escorted to his house and the cop asked him for his insurance. Law enforcement needs to get their stuff because that is not right.” said Tevin Wilson.
Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue says the case is still under investigation and charges are still possible.
Watch the video below from KATC via YouTube:
