Arrest made in fatal wrong-way collision on NE 39th Avenue

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jill Stone Barnash, 47, was arrested today following an investigation into a wrong-way crash on September 1 on NE 39th Avenue; two people were killed and one person was seriously injured in the crash.

At about 11:34 a.m. on September 1, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers responded to a head-on collision in the 3000 block of NE 39th Avenue after multiple calls were received about a white Buick SUV traveling the wrong way on 39th Avenue. When the SUV hit the victims’ Toyota Corolla, it was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes.

At least 12 calls were received starting at about 11:28 a.m., with the first location around NW 51st Street and NW 39th Avenue; the reported locations moved eastward across town until the SUV hit the Corolla near the jail. A “BOLO” went out by 11:31 a.m., advising patrol officers to “be on the lookout” for the vehicle. Callers reported that the car was going over 100 mph and that the “older” female driver “look[ed] zoned out.” Although dispatchers were trying to coordinate patrol cars to intercept the SUV, units were unable to get to it before it crashed.

A 17-year-old male passenger in the right rear seat of the Corolla was transported to the hospital and later succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the Corolla and a 17-year-old female in the left rear seat sustained serious injuries, and the female passenger died from her injuries on September 24.

Barnash was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

Following an investigation by GPD’s Traffic Unit, an arrest warrant was issued for Barnash on October 1, and she was arrested this morning. She has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving with serious bodily injury. Baill will be set tomorrow, but Judge James Colaw recommended bail of $600,000 in the arrest warrant.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.