Eight Killed in Fiery Crash on Georgia Highway
ATLANTA (TNND) — Eight people, including five children, died in a multi-car crash involving a semi-trailer on Interstate 85 in Jackson County, Georgia, on Monday afternoon.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, 33-year-old Kane Aaron Hammock was driving the semi-trailer, which struck the rear of a Dodge Grand Caravan, leading to a chain reaction with four additional vehicles. The Dodge van and the trailer caught fire upon impact.
Hammock was arrested on several charges, including eight counts of second-degree vehicular homicide and one count of second-degree feticide by vehicle. He was taken into custody by the Georgia State Patrol shortly after the crash.
The incident occurred just after 4 p.m., approximately 62 miles northeast of Atlanta. Authorities confirmed that there were eight individuals in the van, but their identities have not been released. There is a potential that one adult may have been pregnant, pending autopsy results.
Four other vehicles were involved in the incident. A van from Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters was among them, with its driver sustaining minor injuries. The van was transporting 37 cats to a Vermont shelter; 35 were recovered, but two remain missing.
The Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash, with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board.