The Hall County Sheriff's Office is investigating the weekend death of a long-time volunteer at Road Atlanta as an accident.
Deputy Stephen Wilbanks said no charges are expected to be filed against the rider who struck Hazel Harrell, 60, of Gainesville.
"The victim, who was an experienced flagger at the course with over 20 years of working these events, was attempting to cross the track to assist an injured rider who’d gone down in a turn," Wilbanks wrote in an email statement.
He said the track was under a yellow flag, which means the motorcycle riders are cautioned to slow down, and the track was in the process of going to a red flag, where all riders stop.
"All the riders on the course had not yet been able to come to a stop," Wilbanks said. "A witness said that it appeared that the victim either stumbled and fell or possibly twisted an ankle while crossing the track."
Wilbanks said one motorcycle was able to swerve and avoid Harrell, but the rider immediately behind that one was unable to see her until the first bike took evasive action.
"There wasn’t enough time for that rider to react, and that bike is the one that struck the victim," Wilbanks said.
Authorities did not release the name of the rider involved in the fatal accident.
Road Atlanta was hosting the WERA Annual Cycle Jam at the time of the accident.
