NORRISTOWN, Pa. - A Montgomery County man is facing charges after prosecutors say he was behind the wheel of a speeding car that skidded off a rain-soaked road and slammed into a tree, killing a young mother and her 3-year-old daughter last month.
Brayan Alejandro Gonzalez-Paez, 22, is accused of driving 70-80 MPH on Valley Forge Park Road during heavy rain in the early morning hours of Jan. 13. Prosecutors say he tried to negotiate a left curve on the 35 MPH street, and lost control of his 2007 Toyota Yaris and spiraled onto a grassy area off the right side of the road.
Crash investigators say the vehicle spun nearly 75-feet counterclockwise and slammed into a tree on the front passenger's side before the car came to a rest.
Prosecutors say Gonzalez-Paez had removed the child from the car by the time officers arrived. She was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in King of Prussia, where authorities say she died.
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The child's mother, 20-year-old Anjelica Guadalupe Amaya Briceno, was trapped in the front passenger's seat and was later pronounced dead after being removed from the car.
Investigators later found that all the seatbelts in the car were fastened behind each passenger, so the vehicle's warning chime would not sound. There was also no child seat found in the vehicle.
Gonzalez-Paez did not have a valid driver's license, according to investigators, and the vehicle was not registered to him. Authorities say Gonzalez-Paez claimed he bought the car from someone in Norristown and never transferred the registration paperwork.
Gonzalez-Paez was arrested Tuesday and charged with several crimes, including homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, and accidents involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed. He was taken to Montgomery Correctional Facility on nearly $100K bail.