Burning Atlanta

Part of this skimpy story doesn't make sense. About the only thing that would explain why he hauled ass away from an earlier accident would be A. He was DUI. B. He feared deportation. c. He was just stupid.

Why didn't the reporter ask his family/friends if he was in this country legally or not? If not, why isn't ICE stomping his families' guts out? Why aren't they in jail facing deportation?

Why the carnage?

Police have confirmed the driver involved in a fatal accident Sunday evening did not have a United States driver's license and police have yet to locate records to indicate he was a legal immigrant, Officer Mark Bishop with the Marietta Police Department said.

Bishop said Kennesaw resident Nicasio Rodrigo Vicente-Hernandez, 29, was involved in two prior accidents Sunday evening before his third and fatal collision.

Vicente-Hernandez was allegedly fleeing an earlier fender-bender when he sideswiped a second car while heading the wrong way on the Canton Road Connector, Bishop said. Seconds later, Vicente-Hernandez, driving a 1999 Mercury Villager, collided head-on with a 1995 Ford Taurus carrying four people - two of whom died in the collision, Bishop said.

Braselton residents Rodney Godfrey, 47, and son Eric Godfrey, 17, died in the accident. Rodney Godfrey was driving.

Mary Godfrey, who was riding in the front passenger seat, remains in serious condition at Atlanta Medical Center. Ms. Godfrey is being held in the Intensive Care Unit, hospital spokeswoman Kendra Gerlach said.

A third passenger, the couple's 12-year old son, was released yesterday from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The son, whose name is not being released to the public, suffered a broken collarbone and rib, along with a bruised lung. He is staying with his uncle, Bishop said.

The family of Vicente-Hernandez was contacted yesterday. They said they saw Vicente-Hernandez Sunday evening before the accident. He washed his car, they said, and then left the house to go to dinner. He had not been drinking, they said.

Pedro Vincente, who resides at Vicente-Hernandez's address, said Vicente-Hernandez had been in the United States for nearly 12 years. Why didn't they ask these people if the deceased was legal or not?

Although he did not hold a Georgia driver's license, Vicente-Hernandez had a valid Mexico driver's license and obtained car insurance in Georgia through Infinity Insurance Company, said Marcella Sill, an insurance agent with Gordon Agency in Kennesaw. Humm, is a Mexican license valid in the US? I'm not sure but think it may be. Same as a US license being valid to drive in Mexico. And he had insurance. So why was he trying to get away?