Phenix City man identified in Sunday crash on Veterans Parkway

A Phenix City man who died of massive head injuries two days after a Sunday crash on Veterans Parkway has been identified, Columbus authorities said Wednesday.

Ismael Lopez-Perez, 22, was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma and other injuries at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said. He was one of 18 Georgians killed on highways during the 78-hour holiday that started at 6 p.m. Friday and ended at midnight Monday on Memorial Day.

A report on the crash shows Lopez-Perez was traveling on Veterans Parkway south of 14th Street when the 2000 Ford Expedition he was driving steered from the right lane to the left and back to the right about 1:35 p.m. The SUV rotated about 270 degrees clockwise before the vehicle’s left bumper struck a traffic signal box before flipping completely.

The SUV continued flipping over until it struck a message board sign in the Midas parking lot before stopping. Lopez-Perez, who wasn’t using a seat belt, was hurled from the vehicle.

The driver sustained severe head injuries before he was first transported to Midtown Medical Center in Columbus. He was transferred to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead on Tuesday.

In addition to the 18 Georgia deaths on the highways during the holiday, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency recorded four traffic deaths, bringing the total to 22 across Alabama and Georgia.

The 18 deaths in Georgia more than tripled the deaths from the five people who died during the holiday period in 2016. Four deaths in Alabama dropped sharply from 11 highway deaths in 2016, officials said.

On the water, Alabama Marine Patrol Troopers also investigated the deaths of a man and his 3-year-old son using a kayak in Cleburne County. Neither was using a personal flotation device.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Phenix City man identified in Sunday crash on Veterans Parkway."