Greensboro man killed in single-vehicle crash on South Holden Road

A Kia SUV struck a tree in the median just north of the Interstate 40 overpass on South Holden Road, killing a 31-year-old Greensboro man before dawn Monday.

Greensboro police identified the victim as Luis Tomas Ventura-Chocoy of Greensboro. Officers said he was driving northbound on South Holden Road at about 12:04 a.m. when he lost control and hit the tree. He was the only person in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash brought Greensboro police, Greensboro Fire and Guilford County EMS to a stretch of road that carries steady traffic through a key part of the city’s south side. Even without another vehicle involved, the wreck shut down the calm of the overnight hours and turned a single-car crash into a multi-agency emergency response.

The Greensboro Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit is leading the investigation. That unit typically examines speed, roadway conditions, vehicle movement and other factors that may have contributed to a fatal wreck. In this case, investigators have not publicly said what caused Ventura-Chocoy to lose control.

South Holden Road has already been a concern in recent months. WFMY News 2 previously reported a single-vehicle crash on the South Holden Road on-ramp to West Wendover Avenue in which a driver suffered life-threatening injuries after striking a tree. In another overnight crash on South Holden Road between Oakland Avenue and Spring Garden Street, two people were injured, including one critically. Together, the crashes point to a corridor that has seen repeated serious incidents during the overnight hours.

Police are asking anyone with information about Monday’s crash to contact Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers or submit an anonymous tip through the P3 Tips app. City of Greensboro notices show that the same anonymous reporting process is used in other fatal crash investigations handled by the Crash Reconstruction Unit.

For drivers in Greensboro, the latest fatal wreck is a reminder that South Holden Road, especially near the I-40 overpass and the West Wendover Avenue connection, remains a place where a momentary loss of control can have deadly consequences.