Officer Responds To Call About Injured Man In The Road...Officer Runs Over The Man...

[bloodrayne]

Officer Accidentally Runs Over Hit-And-Run Victim

Gaston, County, North Carolina -- State Troopers said a Gaston County police officer was responding to a call for a man with a serious head injury lying in the middle of Dallas Cherryville Highway at about 3:35 a.m. Thursday.

As the officer approached the scene, he accidentally ran over 22-year-old Kenneth Bishop.

Kathy Clark lives nearby and said she often sees people walking Highway 279 at night.

"You cannot see them. I've been up this road in the middle of the night and you cannot see," she said.

Investigators said a good Samaritan saw Bishop and stopped to help. He left his high beams on to alert oncoming traffic.

They believe that man's lights blinded the officer -- that coupled with the dense early-morning fog -- causing the officer to hit Bishop.

Tony Lowrance also lives off the busy highway. He said something has to been done. He said if the police can't find the body either, that ought to show you how dark it is on the road.

"That goes to show you right there that it's a dangerous road, even for the police," said Lowrance.

Authorities aren't ruling out the possibility Bishop was the victim of a hit-and-run before the good Samaritan stopped to help.

They also said there's no clear indication that's happened.

A state trooper chopper has been flying over the accident scene, taking aerial photos for their investigation. It is standard procedure for all serious accident investigations.

Authorities said Bishop was wearing dark clothes at the time of the accident.