News

Driver arrested in crash that killed passenger on I-85 North in Gwinnett

By Chelsea Prince and
Sept 20, 2018

Police have arrested a driver involved in a deadly crash that gridlocked I-85 in Gwinnett County for several hours Wednesday morning.

Irma Garcia-Cambero is facing charges of second-degree homicide by vehicle, failure to maintain a single lane and driving without a valid license, Gwinnett police told AJC.com.

A passenger in her backseat was killed as a result of the crash, police said. Authorities identified the victim as Adela Morales Sanchez, 41, of Atlanta.

 
Traffic is gridlocked on I-85 North just before the Ga. 316 split while Gwinnett County authorities investigate a deadly crash.
Traffic is gridlocked on I-85 North just before the Ga. 316 split while Gwinnett County authorities investigate a deadly crash.

During the investigation, multiple lanes of I-85 North near Pleasant Hill Road were shut down from just before 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. Traffic was jammed in both directions, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

At the peak of the morning rush, only one HOT lane was getting by.

 

Garcia-Cambero was allegedly attempting to change lanes in front of a tractor-trailer when she lost control of her vehicle, and her vehicle ended up facing northbound traffic, Gwinnett police said.

The tractor-trailer’s driver attempted to stop but was unable to avoid the vehicle, hitting the read passenger side door, which resulted in the passenger’s death, police said. Three other people were hurt, but their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

No other details have been released.

 
Delays remain on I-85 North just before the Ga. 316 split after a deadly crash. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Delays remain on I-85 North just before the Ga. 316 split after a deadly crash. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow  @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.

About the Authors

Chelsea Prince is reporter and coach on the breaking news team.

Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.

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