A Gainesville man was charged with vehicular homicide following a two-vehicle collision that left two dead Saturday morning.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office says the collision occurred just after 11 a.m. on Browns Bridge Rd. near the intersection of S. Smith Road.
Preliminary investigation details from the Accident Investigation Unit indicated Rafael Garrido, 60, was driving westbound in the right lane of Browns Bridge Rd. near Cherry Circle when the vehicle of Kegan Thomas, 24, of Cumming, passed him in the left lane at a high rate of speed.
Thomas then moved into the right lane while Garrido reportedly got into the left lane and began to overtake Thomas’ vehicle. Garrido then edged past Thomas and attempted to move to the right lane of S. Smith Rd. Garrido’s vehicle then clipped the front of Thomas’ vehicle, which exited the roadway, struck a utility pole and then rolled. Thomas’ vehicle came to a stop when it struck a concrete retaining wall, according to HCSO.
Both Thomas and his front-seat passenger, 22 year-old Ariyana Richards of Cumming, were killed as a result. Both bodies were transported to the Dekalb Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy.
Garrido was arrested Saturday evening. He faces charges of two counts of 1st degree vehicular homicide, two counts of aggressive driving, racing and reckless driving. He remains in the Hall County Jail as of last report.
