A Lakemont man was killed Thursday morning in a two-vehicle collision on
Cleveland Highway near Clarks Bridge Road, and a Gainesville woman faces charges
in the crash.
HCSO NEWS RELEASE:
“According to investigators with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Accident Investigation
Unit (AIU), Angelica Marisol Vilchis-Cruz, 38, the driver of a 2024 GMC Sierra, was traveling
southbound on Cleveland Highway and crossed into the northbound lane of travel, striking a
2018 Ford Explorer head-on. The investigation determined Ms. Vilchis-Cruz had fallen asleep
behind the wheel.
Ms. Vilchis-Cruz and the driver of the Explorer, Samantha Marie Motes, 27, of Clermont, were
transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. A
passenger in Ms. Motes’ vehicle, DeWayne O’Neil Smith, 31, had to be extricated from the
wreckage of the Explorer. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital just after 9 a.m.
After Ms. Vilchis-Cruz was treated at the hospital, she was transported to the Hall County Jail on
charges of first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane. She
remains in jail with no bond.
The fatal collision occurred just after 7:45 a.m. Cleveland Highway was closed to traffic for
approximately two (2) hours for the accident investigation.”