Friend mourns death of pedestrian struck by vehicle

On Wednesday, Warner Robins Police Department released a statement that confirmed the death of 53-year-old Roy Long. Information provided in the report stated that Long had been hit by a 2009 Toyota Camry, driven by 39-year-old Perez Efford. The accident was still under investigation, and no charges had been filed as of Thursday afternoon. The media release sent from WRPD mentioned that at the time of the accident, Long was pushing a shopping cart as he walked with a second pedestrian. Long was taken to Navicent Macon where he succumbed to his injuries.

Long was homeless, according to his friend, Braden Benedict, who reached out to Houston Home Journal to share his broken heart. Because of Long’s homelessness, and his lack of family connections and friends in the area, Benedict said he was afraid that most people wouldn’t care about the man’s fate, thinking that his life had meant nothing. According to Benedict, nothing could be further from the truth.

“Philly was a vet who served his country,” said Benedict, referring to Long by his nickname. “He was just like a lot of other vets who serve their country only to finishing out their duties and end up homeless.”

Benedict admitted that Long had very few friends. “Me and another friend named Pam Underhill are the only true friends that I knew that he had,” Benedict said. “We met him at a local hotel in Warner Robins, and we all became friends. We were friends for the past five years. We’re just heartbroken over his death. Just heartbroken,” he said.

Long was somewhat of a drifter. Benedict said that days or weeks could go by without him seeing his friend, but at some point, he’d always return and drop by for a visit. “He walked all over this town. One day, you might see him at Walmart, and then the next day he might be in another part of town. He really didn’t let grass grow under his feet.”

When Benedict would see his friend in the wintertime, he said he’s always offer Long a cup of coffee whenever he had it to give. “The weather would be really cold sometimes,” Benedict noted, adding, “I didn’t have much, but I’d give him some change for a Coke and a bag of chips. A lot of times, I’d just sit with him and have a heart to heart and listen to what he had to say.”

Benedict shared that there were times when Long would have “episodes” due to suffering with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) that stemmed from his time of active duty. “When he had those, he’d have to go to Dublin for a while,” Benedict said. “He was in the Army, and he served during wartime, but I’m not 100% sure which war he fought in or how long he served.”

Anytime too much time passed without him seeing Long, Benedict said he would get worried and wonder if he’d been sent to the hospital again for treatment. Despite the PTSD and his homeless status, Benedict said Long had a lot of wisdom, and would talk a lot about his military experiences. If he had to describe Long in one single word, he said it would be “awesome.”

“That’s what Philly was,” he insisted. “He was awesome. He’d treat you like you were his best friend. He’d wave at people from across the street whether he knew them or not. He’d say, ‘Hey. How’re you doing, brother?’ to every man he saw. But there were a lot of folks who treated him bad,” Benedict revealed. “He mentioned having family—I’m not sure where they are—but they weren’t there for him. From time to time, he would talk about spending the night at the houses of people who were supposed to be his friends, but he would wake up the next morning and all of his stuff would be gone. They would steal his stuff.”

Benedict shared that Long was a gifted musician as well as an artist with a talent for drawing people and landscaping. “He played the guitar. Philly loved that guitar, and he carried it with him. He also loved to do drawings, and he was good at it. I wish now that I had gotten one of those drawings. At least I’d have that to remember him by,” Benedict added.

At the end of the day, Benedict said he just wishes everybody would treat their neighbor with respect, regardless of what they think of them. Nobody, he said, knows where the other person has been in life or what kind of things they’ve been through.

“I want everyone to please remember him. Don’t sweep him under a rug and forget about him,” Benedict said.

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