Austell Man Drives Off Roadway, Dies

The Cobb County Police Department tonight released the identity of the man who died after this morning's single-vehicle accident just west of the intersection of the East-West Connector and Fontaine Road.

Just before 11:15 a.m., 67-year-old Nelson Villavicencio of Austell was driving westbound in a white 2011 Hyundai Elantra when he drove off the roadway, said Sgt. Dana Pierce, the spokesman for the police department.

The Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy, but investigators suspect that Villavicencio "may have experienced some type of medical distress" when he drove off the roadway and struck trees on the northern edge of the grass shoulder, Pierce said.

He was taken to WellStar Cobb Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A police officer en route to the fatal accident was injured when a tan Toyota Camry pulled in front of him, according to WSB-TV. Initially, the station reported that it as a hit-and-run. But witnesses told police that the driver of the Camry may not have known what happened, according to WSB-TV.

The officer was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries to his right leg and ankle.

If you have any information about the accident, call 770-499-3987.