911 dispatcher killed in headon crash near Gilroy
Oct 28, 2024
(KRON) -- A mother of three who worked as a 911 emergency dispatcher was killed in a head-on crash on Highway 25 near Gilroy early Monday morning.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner identified the crash victim as Priscilla Jones, 35, of Hollister. Jones worked as a dispatcher for Santa Clara County 911 Communications.
California Highway Patrol officers said Jones was driving a 2012 Dodge Charger at 12:33 a.m. on Highway 25 near Bloomfield Avenue. A 2018 Nissan Sentra was traveling in the opposite direction when it swerved over double yellow lines into on-coming traffic, the CHP said. The Nissan slammed head-on into the Charger.
Both drivers suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, according to CHP officers. The coroner's office identified the Nissan driver as Erick Andrade, 24, of Gilroy.
Priscilla Jones (Photo via Facebook)
Jones is survived by her husband and their three children. In addition to working as a 911 dispatcher, Jones co-owned a small business, Mmm Churros, in Hollister with her husband. They recently purchased a storefront in downtown Hollister to expand their business.
Jones was honored in 2019 after she helped a 911 caller give birth.
"Over the phone, she assisted a woman who was by herself in delivering her own baby. As a mom herself, Priscilla wanted to follow-up and make sure mom and baby were doing well. We were invited to the hospital to meet them where we were greeted with our own little surprise... she had ended up having twins!" the Santa Clara County 911 Communications Department wrote in 2019.
Jones is remembered for her compassion and patience with anyone on the other end of a 911 call, friends said.
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Friends wrote many memories of Jones on her Facebook page. One friend wrote, "Your beauty was breathtaking, your heart was made of pure solid gold and your humor was epic. You did it all queen. You will always be an example to me of what is possible if you want something bad enough. I have never met a human like you and I never will again."
KRON4 spoke with Omar Rosa, the CEO of the Downtown Hollister Association who worked with Jones for many years. He said Jones always gave back to the community, once providing churros to people who dropped off canned food at a charity drive.
“Just the passion that she displayed is the one thing I can tell you. She was very dedicated to her family and to the community, that whole personality of like whatever it takes to help this community and be part of the community," Rosa said of Jones.
Highway 25 was closed for five hours on Monday for the investigation. CHP officers said they are still probing circumstances of what led up to the double-fatal crash.