Crime & Safety
GoFundMe Created For Couple Hit While Walking In Roswell
Police have charged the driver, Khianni Jackson, with nearly a dozen crimes, according to media reports.

ROSWELL, GA -- A GoFundMe has been established for a couple who was hit by a car last month while jogging near the Chattahoochee Nature Center on March 20.
Devon Phelps and his wife Jill were hit after the driver lost control of his car, sideswiped another vehicle, hit the pedestrians and then hit a power pole. A 2-year-old girl who was in the car was taken to the hospital, along with the two adults who were hit by the car.
Police have charged that driver, Khianni Jackson, with nearly a dozen crimes, according to WSB-TV.
Find out what's happening in Roswellfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A GoFundMe set up by Devon's parent said, "My son Devon and his wife Jill Phelps were out for a morning jog when they were run over by a car going over 40 mph. The driver had a suspended license. He was uninsured. The driver hit a pole immediately after the Phelps family with such force that the telephone pole broke in half. While these good kids were lying on the ground, unconscious in critical condition with broken bones while their two children wait unaware in daycare, the uninsured driver tried to flee from the scene. "
A couple of months ago, Devon left the military after eight years of service, the fundraiser continues. "The family left North Carolina where they had been stationed and moved to Atlanta. While Jill passed the exam for teaching certification in Georgia, Devon applied to Georgia Tech. With his military engineering experience and great college grades, he was confident he'd be accepted and continue his education. Money was now tight but, together with Jill and Devon working now, they had managed to save enough to make it over the hump without help until he finished college and began his career."
Find out what's happening in Roswellfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
But this came to a halt after the crash. The couple has two sons, 2 and 4-years -old.
"Jill fractured her skull, broke her cheekbone, crushed facial nerves that prevent her from moving her face, and had a hole in her cheek sewed up with more than two dozen stitches," the GoFundMe said. "Jill also had multiple leg fractures, a collapsed lung, liver damage and a laundry list of smaller injuries. Witnesses say after the speeding car collided with her, she flew forward against the telephone pole which caused additional harm. Devon was thrown 75-feet from the accident and landed in a thorn bush. While he avoided the multiple head injuries, his leg broke in three places and tendons were nearly ripped clean apart below the knee. Devon and Jill each were hospitalized for a week. Devon uses a walker. He can't bend his knee for two months. It will be a minimum of four months before he can walk unassisted, and sadly there is a chance he may never be able to a jog again. With good fortune, Jill can walk unassisted in under two months. The crushed nerves in her face may never recover. She may have another operation in a few months to try and regain movement for the left side of her face."
GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.