A 20-year-old Dahlonega man was killed in a two-vehicle collision on Lula Road about one mile east of Julian Wiley Road on Thursday night, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said Monday.
At approximately 7:30, sheriff’s deputies found two pickups involved in a head-on crash. One was blocking Lula Road, while the other had overturned. Both drivers and a passenger were suffering from serious injuries.
According to investigators, Jesse Jacob Martinez, 20, of Gainesville was headed eastbound when he traveled onto the shoulder of the roadway. As the rear tires of the truck slid down an embankment, the vehicle rotated. Martinez attempted to steer back onto the roadway but overcorrected, crossing into the westbound lane and colliding head-on with an oncoming pickup. The second truck then went into a spin, traveled into a ditch and came to rest on its roof.
During the crash, passenger Fernando Jose Gutierrez was partially ejected. Gutierrez, Martinez and the other driver, Jack Jason Dooley, 52, of Dahlonega, were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where Gutierrez later died.
Martinez remained hospitalized with serious injuries. Dooley’s condition was not available. Charges are pending as the investigation continues.