A Gainesville woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that left one man dead and another woman injured late Monday morning.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, the incident occurred around 11:00 a.m. on Academy Street Monday, April 21, when 61-year-old Phillip Adams was struck and killed while being pushed in a wheelchair across a designated crosswalk. Authorities say 77-year-old Linda Tench was pushing Adams at the time of the crash. Both were hit by a vehicle that failed to yield the right of way and allegedly fled the scene without stopping.
Emergency crews transported both victims to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in critical condition. Adams later died from his injuries, while Tench remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Following an investigation, police identified the driver as 29-year-old Janet Villanueva of Gainesville. Villanueva was taken into custody and is currently being held at the Hall County Jail. Police say she faces multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle in the first degree, serious injury by motor vehicle, felony hit and run, failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk and failure to exercise due care.
The case remains under investigation.
