A Gainesville man died and the passenger was critically injured in a single-vehicle crash Saturday, March 1, on Mountain View Road, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say the incident occurred just before 10:30 p.m., when deputies from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene to find an SUV that had crashed into a tree.
The vehicle caught fire following the impact, trapping the driver inside. Hall County Fire Rescue crews extinguished the flames and extricated the driver, while the passenger was able to exit the vehicle on their own. The passenger was located a short distance away from the crash site.
The driver, identified as 26-year-old Jaime Modesto Priciliano, was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, 21-year-old Vidal Reyes Gurrero, also from Gainesville, was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
According to police, Priciliano was traveling westbound on Mountain View Road when he veered onto the shoulder just west of Dogwood Drive. As he attempted to return to the roadway, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. Preliminary findings indicate that speed was a contributing factor in the crash.
The investigation remains ongoing.
