TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - Family and Friends of an 81-year-old man killed in a hit-and-run in Tift County are calling on the driver to come forward.

“Sometimes this stuff gets swept under the rug. I don’t want this to get swept under the rug because he wasn’t a nobody to us,” family friend Kevin Walton said.

On Jan. 23, 81-year-old Johnnie Mckinnon was trying to cross Fifth Street in Tifton when he was hit by a white Dodge Durango. After the crash, the driver turned around, stopped near the scene, and drove off. Authorities say Mckinnon was struck by three additional cars and only one of those three drivers stopped to help.

“I know the person might be scared but they just have to think if something like this happened to their family members, they would want justice. They would want something to happen,” Walton said.

Local business manager Lishia Singletary says accidents happen all the time because the area near the accident is a high-traffic area.

“You can see that someone has run into somebody else trying to pull out or somebody stopping to turn and somebody hits them from the back. It’s just things like that. We don’t see [the accidents] but we hear them. Then we look out and see all of the commotion afterwards,” Singletary said.

It’s common for pedestrians to jaywalk in this area. Kevin Walton wants to remind other drivers and pedestrians to be aware and vigilant.

“Tomorrow is not promised to you. I just say love on your family members as much as you can because tomorrow is not promised. Anything can happen at any time,” Walton said.

At this time no arrests have been made, but if you have any information that could help authorities move this case forward you are encouraged to reach out to Georgia State Patrol at (404) 624-7451.

Previous coverage:

• Victim identified in deadly Tift County hit and run

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