911 dispatcher killed in head-on crash near Gilroy

(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.

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.

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.

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."

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.