Family makes push for safer roads after fatal crash
ATLANTA - An Atlanta family, whose loved one was killed in a crash, made an emotional plea for drivers to be more alert when behind the wheel.
The widow of Shurlan Joseph said she never thought her husband would die in a motorcycle accident.
The deadly crash happened Thursday morning around 6:16 a.m. on Moreland Avenue.
Mrs. Joseph said motorcycle riding was therapeutic for her husband. She said riding his bike always took him to another place, free from worries or stress.
Ironically, the husband and father of four, was on his Harley-Davidson headed to work when he died.
Atlanta Police said a Volkswagen Jetta, traveling northbound, made a left turn into the McDonald's and crashed into Shurlan's bike. The 42-year-old was ejected.
Mrs. Joseph said he was an excellent rider who always put safety first.
"If he had of had any amount of time to have reacted to a car pulling in front of him, that he would have jumped off that motorcycle and broken both arms and both legs to have lived," Mrs. Joseph commented.
She described Shurlan as an incredible husband who worked in the TV and movie industry as a scenic artist. He most recently worked on the TV show "STEP UP," but she says he believed his most important work was nurturing his four children, including a 9- and 5-year-old.
Atlanta Police arrested the driver of the Jetta, Grady Memorial Hospital employee Noah Lee, who remained on the scene and charged him with homicide by vehicle and failure to yield while turning left.
Sandi has one bit of advice for all of us, who are behind the wheel.
"People just need to be more careful, think about when you are driving a $10,000 machine, think of it like that. That machine kills people every day."
Mrs. Joseph concluded.
Shurlan Joseph will have a funeral service Wednesday, August 1 at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Midtown Atlanta at 1 p.m.