17-year-old driver, 16-year-old passenger killed in car wreck
A 17-year-old driver and 16-year-old passenger both died Friday after a car wreck in Jackson County, officials said.
Najely Bonilla of Gainesville and Elena Regalado of Pendergrass were killed in the wreck, which happened about 1:45 p.m. on U.S. 129 near the Pendergrass Flea Market, Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Stephanie Stallings said.
Bonilla was driving a 1991 Honda Accord and was trying to make a left turn from the flea market to cross U.S. 129, Stallings said. Stallings said Bonilla failed to yield after stopping at a stop sign and pulled into the roadway.
The Accord was hit on the driver’s side by a 2006 Ford F350 that was heading east, Stallings said. Bonilla and Regalado were both pronounced dead on the scene by a coroner, she said.
Regalado was killed on impact, according to a GoFundMe campaign created in her name.
“She did not suffer,” the GoFundMe page said. “We know Elena looks down from heaven to us all with a smile on her face knowing she had so many friends and family that supported her and loved her.”
Cole Alexander Bruce, the 18-year-old driver of the F350, and 44-year-old passenger Sammy Lee Bruce both suffered minor injuries in the wreck, according to Stallings.
The investigation is ongoing.
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
