New details emerge in 17-year-old’s bike fatality, officer unfamiliar with state bike laws

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has new developments after an officer report blames a 17-year-old for her own death after she was hit by an impaired driver while riding her bike home.

The family’s attorney, Bruce Hagen, said law enforcement might have gotten some information wrong.

Pauline Osuegbu’s daughter, Obianuju Osuegbu, was killed on Highway 11 in Winder, Barrow County, in August 2020.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston went to GSP headquarters Wednesday afternoon and received a 59-page Georgia State Patrol report done by the Collision Reconstruction team.

The report states that the driver, Chrissy Rawlins, who was high on multiple drugs while driving, was not at fault because Osuegbu did not have a light on the back of her bike and was not riding on the right-hand side of the road, and was not wearing reflective clothing.

Bruce Hagen, Osuegbu’s family attorney, who conducts bike law training for police officers, said the responding officer and the GSP reconstruction team investigated the accident but were not familiar with the Georgia bike laws. Hagen said Georgia laws do not require bikes to have lights as long as there are reflectors, which the 17-year-old’s bike already had on it.

TRENDING STORIES:

• ‘Pure evil’: Man sentenced to 375 years in torture murders stemming from Facebook post
• Indictment accuses Atlanta rapper Cash Out with rape, luring women into prostitution
• Coweta County says small amount of people at risk after carcinogen found in drinking water

He pulled out the statutes to show what they said about the state’s bike laws.

“Specifically right here, vehicles which approach from the rear, any other vehicle or vehicles topped or slowed to make a lawful turn shall be deemed to be following the purposes of this code section,” Hagen said.

Hagen said Obianuju Osuegbu was turning left and had a reflector on her bike.

He also said Rawlins should be charged with vehicular homicide because of the toxicology report. It said she had four drugs in her system, including methamphetamine and Valium. She was charged with a DUI and endangering her own children, who were in the car at the time of the accident.

“Endangering her children but not the death of Pauline’s child,” Hagen said.

Hagen and Pauline Osuegbu said they will not stop until they get justice.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Family ‘desperately needs the public’s help’ finding who killed loved ones in gun range shooting Family ‘desperately needs the public’s help’ finding who killed loved ones in gun range shooting

©2022 Cox Media Group