Judge finds driver not guilty after camera review showed both vehicles entered lane simultaneously
Summary
An officer who investigated a two-vehicle sideswipe on Tara Boulevard told the court camera footage showed both drivers moved into the same lane at the same moment; the judge acquitted the defendant for lack of proof one-sided fault.
A Clayton County judge on Thursday found a driver not guilty of an improper lane change after police reviewed roadway camera footage that showed both vehicles entered the same lane simultaneously.
Officer Ella Kirillova of the Clayton County Police Department testified that she responded to a sideswipe collision on Tara Boulevard and reviewed nearby camera footage. "Both vehicles entered the same lane at the same time," she said, summarizing what she saw on the recording.
Kirillova told the court that initial statements suggested one driver might be at fault for changing lanes unsafely, but the surveillance footage showed the two vehicles moved into the center lane at nearly the same time. Because the video showed mutual contributions to the crash, the officer said she classified both drivers as contributing to the collision.
After hearing testimony and examining the diagram and camera evidence in court, the judge said the state had not proved the defendant was solely at fault beyond a reasonable doubt and entered a not-guilty finding. The transcript records the judge’s disposition as an acquittal; the defendant was released at the end of the proceeding.
The charge was listed as an improper lane change in case 202404061. The officer prepared an accident diagram and reviewed camera footage for the court. The transcript does not show any further motion or appeal at the hearing.
