Father of 5 hit, killed on morning walk just a week before Thanksgiving

A driver hit and killed a father of five the week before Thanksgiving.

And though police say it was not a hit-and-run, the family still thinks the driver should be held liable.

Channel 2′s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell spoke to the family of Henry Ducre Sr., who was only 900 feet from his house when he was hit and killed along Powder Springs Road. Ducre walked six miles every single day, knew the roads very well and always wore a protective vest.

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Micah Ducre-Toomer and Henry Ducre Jr. go back to memories caught on video on their phones to hear their dad’s voice again.

“I miss just having him to call on,” Ducre-Toomer said. “My dad was a giant in stature but he was also a giant at heart.

Henry Ducre Jr. called his father his best friend.

“What I miss the most about his is his lovingness,” Ducree Jr. said. “He would never get off the phone without telling me he loved me.”

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Police said that the week before Thanksgiving, a driver going 18 miles over the speed limit hit and killed Ducree. Police said h was walking outside of a crosswalk in an unlit area and should have noticed the driver’s headlights. The driver was charged with speeding and the case was closed, which is a troubling reality for Ducree’s children.

“He wore a reflective vest,” Ducre-Toomer said. “He was 6′5.”

“It’s contradictive in nature to say he had adequate vision even though the area is deemed as unlit,” Ducre Jr. said.

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Police said that if the driver had been going 90 mph in the 45 mph speed zone, that would be considered reckless driving. They also said a drug expert at the scene determined the driver was not impaired.

The family wants more lights and crosswalks installed in the area. The county DOT said they have not received any complaints but will have the street light program manager out to take a look at the conditions.