Truck driver killed in Gwinnett wreck identified

Gwinnett County police have identified the motorist killed in a wreck that shut down most northbound lanes of I-85 during Thursday's morning commute as Eric Murray, 39, of Minneapolis, Minn., and have charged the driver who they believe caused the crash with vehicular homicide.

Murray was driving a tractor-trailer that was struck by a minivan that was attempting to merge onto I-85 northbound from Beaver Ruin Road, according to Gwinnett police Cpl. Edwin Ritter.

Both vehicles lost control after the 7:05 a.m. collision and slid off the right side of the roadway.

A passenger in the tractor-trailer, 62-year-old Bryant Garrott of Minneapolis, was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver and sole occupant of the minivan, Maria Zeelaya Torres, 44, of Norcross, was also injured and taken to Gwinnett Medical Center.

Ritter said that after being treated for her injuries, Torres was released from the hospital and taken to the Gwinnett County Jail, charged with second-degree vehicular homicide, no driver's license and failure to maintain lane.

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