A Georgia truck driver has been charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide after a fiery highway crash killed eight members of a family, including five children. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon on Interstate 85, about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Kane Hammock, 33, was driving a semi-trailer that ploughed into the family's vehicle, causing both to burst into flames. The collision triggered a chain reaction involving four more vehicles. Eight occupants were found dead in the van, and one individual may have been pregnant, according to the Jackson County Deputy Coroner.
The deceased were identified as Kenia Ramirez and Darwin Ventura, along with their four-year-old son Kayle Ramirez. Kenia's mother, Sonia Maribel Ramirez, and four of her other children—Justin, Andy, Natali and Evan Ramirez, aged between two and 16—also died. Darwin Ventura's mother, Eva Velasquez-Benitez, said her son had been driving the family shopping at the time of the crash.
Hammock has been charged with eight counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree vehicular feticide, following too closely, distracted driving and operating a vehicle without a current plate. All are misdemeanours. In Georgia, second-degree vehicular homicide carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
An investigation revealed that Hammock's semi-trailer was following too closely and struck the rear of a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. After impact, the van and tractor-trailer became engulfed in flames. One of the other vehicles involved was a van carrying 37 cats to a rescue shelter; some cats fled after the crash, with two still missing and one in critical care.
