By Joe Johnson
An Athens man has been indicted for felony vehicular homicide and related offenses for an alcohol-related collision nearly a year ago that killed a man from Jackson County and injured two of the victim’s family members.
Juan Romero, 40, of Hanover Place was charged with two counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle, four counts of serious injury by vehicle, and single counts of failure to maintain lane and reckless driving, according to the indictment filed Tuesday in Clarke County Superior Court.
According to Athens-Clarke County police, the fatal collision occurred on Feb. 7 when Garrido was driving his Chevrolet Tahoe on Tallassee Road and after crossing the center line between Christa Lane and Ramble Hills Drive his Tahoe collided head-on with a Jeep Wrangler being driven by 50-year-old Christopher Scottie Nix of Jefferson.
Nix died at the scene, and two occupants in the Jeep -- his wife and 9-year-old son -- had to be extricated from the vehicle and were taken to the hospital in serious condition.
According to the indictment, Missy Nix suffered a broken hip joint and femur, and her son suffered a bruised lung and concussion.
Garrido was taken to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center in serious condition, according to police.
Police said that from a hospital blood draw they determined that Garrido’s blood-alcohol concentration was .08 percent, which made him legally drunk at the time of the crash.
An arraignment date for Garrido on the indictment had yet to be scheduled as of Thursday.