87-year-old woman identified as victim in deadly BeltLine crash

ATLANTA — The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office has identified the woman killed when her car crashed off a bridge and onto the BeltLine below in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Officials said 87-year-old Betty Hodo, from Atlanta, died in the crash at Ralph David Abernathy and Cascade Road.

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A witness at the scene told Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach that they had just spoken with Hodo who was killed.

The witness said Hodo had just left the parking lot of a shopping center nearby when she went through the fence along Ralph David Abernathy and fell on the Atlanta BeltLine below.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones talked to Hodo’s daughter, Tanya Hodo, who said her best friend is gone.

“I’m gonna miss my mama,” Tanya Hodo said. “God knows I am.”

Tanya Hodo said she thinks something must have happened to cause her mother to crash. She wants anyone who may have information on what happened to come forward.

“I ask please come forward and share any knowledge that you have,” Tanya Hodo said. “I beg you. I plead.”

Tanya Hodo said her mother spent 40 working at the old McPherson military installations as a bartender. She never thought her life would end like this.

“She didn’t deserve to die like that,” Tanya Hodo said.

Dozens of witnesses were in shock at the tragic accident they had just seen.

“The lady, she just had an innocent accident and accidents happen to everybody,” said Mann Waller, who saw the accident. “This could have been avoided.”

Investigators are still working to determine why the car went off the road.

Another witness told Jones said she thinks the accident would not have happened if there was something stronger than a fence along the bridge.

“You can see it’s rusted,” Jannah Muhammad said. “If you just push it like this, it’s not stable.”

Tanya Hodo said they should reinforce the bridge to make it more durable.

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