FATAL CRASH ON GEORGIA HIGHWAY CLAIMS EIGHT LIVES
ATLANTA — Eight people, including five children, died in a multi-car crash involving a semi-trailer on Interstate 85 in Jackson County on Monday afternoon.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety reported that 33-year-old Kane Aaron Hammock was driving the trailer when he struck the rear of a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan, which initiated a chain reaction involving four other vehicles. The crash occurred just after 4 p.m. and resulted in the Dodge van becoming engulfed in flames.
Hammock has been arrested and faces 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 on the same day as the crash.
Jeff Rogers, Jackson County Deputy Coroner, confirmed that there were eight individuals in the van, though their identities have not yet been released. There is a potential that one of the adults was pregnant; this will be verified pending autopsy results.
One of the vehicles involved was a van from Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters, which was transporting 37 cats to a shelter in Vermont. While the driver sustained minor injuries, two cats remain missing, and one is hospitalized in critical condition.
The incident is under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team, with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.