A driver who fled from the scene of a serious traffic collision on U.S. 129/Athens Highway just before 9 p.m. Saturday faces a long list of criminal charges.
Investigators with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) arrested Jose Luis Muniz, 19, of Gainesville on Sunday, Oct. 16, several hours after the two-vehicle crash on Athens Highway at Smallwood Road. The HCSO Accident Investigation Unit made an initial determination that Muniz was traveling south on Athens Highway in a BMW passenger car when he struck a Honda Odyssey minivan that was turning left from Smallwood Road onto Athens Highway.
As a result of the crash, the five people in the minivan, including three teenagers, were injured. Two teens were seriously injured while the third sustained critical injuries and was transported to Scottish Rite hospital.
The two adults in the minivan were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Muniz faces the following charges in connection with the crash:
∙ Serious injury by vehicle (five counts)
∙ Cruelty to children, second degree (three counts)
∙ Reckless driving
∙ Failure to stop at the scene of an accident
∙ Leaving the scene of an accident
The crash remains under investigation pending accident reconstruction.
