Eight Dead in Fiery Multi-Car Collision on Georgia Highway
ATLANTA — Eight people, including five children, died in a multi-vehicle crash involving a semi-trailer on Interstate 85 in Jackson County on Monday afternoon.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the incident occurred just after 4 p.m. when 33-year-old Kane Aaron Hammock, driving the semi-trailer, struck the rear of a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. This impact caused a chain reaction, involving four additional vehicles. Witnesses reported that the Dodge van and tractor-trailer erupted in flames post-collision.
Hammock has been charged with multiple offenses, including eight counts of second-degree vehicular homicide and one count of second-degree feticide by vehicle. He was arrested on the day of the incident by the Georgia State Patrol.
Deputy Coroner Jeff Rogers confirmed that all eight occupants in the van have yet to be identified, and there may be an unconfirmed pregnancy among the victims, pending autopsy results.
Four other vehicles were also involved in the crash. A van from Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters sustained damage, leaving its driver with minor injuries. The organization reported that they were transporting 37 cats to a Vermont shelter at the time of the accident; two cats remain missing, while one is in critical care.
The Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is conducting the investigation, with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.