Atlanta Runner Struck and Killed by Car

In Atlanta for work today, I read in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that an award-winning local amateur runner had been struck and killed by a car while on a run in the early-morning darkness. Patricia Foell, 43, was crossing a road at about 6:00 AM. The distraught driver of the Toyota Camry that hit her was on her way to Bible study. Foell, the mother of two elementary school children, was a member of the Atlanta Track Club's Women's Competitive Team.

Julia Emmons, executive director of the Track Club, said that the basics of running safety rely on running "defensively." This includes staying on sidewalks and, if runners have to run in the roadway, always running facing traffic so they can see what's coming, using crosswalks, assuming that vehicles can't see them, and wearing reflective vests when running in darkness. A police spokesman suggested that anyone running with a cellphone enter an emergency number into the phone's speed dialer under the acronym "ICE" for "in case of emergency" so that emergency personnel know who to call.