No charges after fatal South Asheville crash tied to medical emergency

A stretch of Hendersonville Road in South Asheville became the scene of a fatal collision that injured other motorists, and Asheville police say the case will not move forward with criminal charges after investigators concluded the driver had a medical emergency.

Police said officers responded at about 3:37 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, at the 2160 block of Hendersonville Road. Investigators identified the driver as Peter Tracy Gillette, 81, who was traveling southbound in a 2018 Subaru when he experienced the emergency. Police said the Subaru failed to stop for a steady red light and struck a 2014 Nissan that had a steady green light and was turning left through the intersection.

The occupants of the Nissan were taken to Mission Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Gillette was also transported to Mission Hospital, where he later died Friday, May 29. The Asheville Police Department said next of kin were notified.

The no-charges decision reflects where accountability ends when a crash is traced to a health crisis rather than a deliberate act. In this case, investigators completed their review and concluded that Gillette’s medical emergency, not criminal conduct, triggered the sequence that led to the crash. That finding matters on Hendersonville Road, one of South Asheville’s busier corridors, where a sudden medical event at a signalized intersection can put multiple drivers and passengers at risk in seconds.

The crash also highlights how police, hospitals and investigators each become part of the response after a violent roadway event. Mission Hospital treated the injured occupants of the Nissan and later treated Gillette after the collision, while police sorted out the signal phase, vehicle positions and the driver’s condition before announcing that no charges would be filed.

For people who travel through Asheville and Buncombe County, the case is a reminder that not every fatal crash begins with reckless driving. Sometimes the cause is a medical emergency that changes a routine turn at a green light into a death investigation, leaving police to close the file without a prosecution.

The Asheville Police Department says crash reports after Jan. 1, 2003 are generally available through its public portal, and the city says some personal information is withheld from public copies under state and federal privacy laws.