In addition to these charges, Hammock is accused of second-degree feticide by vehicle, following too closely, failure to exercise duty of care, and operating a vehicle without registration. Despite the gravity of the situation, all charges brought against him are classified as misdemeanors.

According to a press release from the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the collision occurred on the afternoon of Monday, October 13. State police from Post 32 in Athens were dispatched around 4:11 p.m. to the northbound lanes of Interstate 85, just south of Commerce, Georgia, where they encountered the aftermath of a six-vehicle pileup.

The investigation revealed that the chain of events was triggered when Hammock’s semi-trailer was allegedly following a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan too closely, resulting in a rear-end collision. This initial impact set off a catastrophic chain reaction, involving the van and four other vehicles. Tragically, both the Dodge van and the tractor-trailer erupted into flames upon impact, leading to the loss of eight lives.

“The investigation revealed that a semi-trailer was following too closely and struck the rear of a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan,” the release states. “This caused a chain reaction involving the van and four additional vehicles. After impact, the Dodge van became engulfed in flames along with the tractor-trailer.”

Jeff Rogers, the Jackson County deputy coroner, went on to confirm that all eight of the deceased — five children and three adults — were occupants of the Dodge Caravan. The identities of the eight victims have not yet been released.

In an email to The Associated Press, a spokesperson for the Department of Safety said that one of the victims in the van may have been pregnant, but that such a detail “will not be confirmed until an autopsy has been completed.”

Independent Atlanta television station WANF identified the victims as Kenia Ramirez, Darwin Ventura, and their child Kayle, as well as Kenia Ramirez’s mother, Maribel Ramirez, and her children: Justin, Andy, Natali, and Evan. Family members told the station that Kenia Ramirez was pregnant with the couple’s second child.

The youngest victim was 2 years old, while the oldest victim was 42, Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA reported.

A volunteer with the Atlanta-based Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters, Michael Rullan, was transporting 37 cats to Vermont when the van he was driving was involved in a multi-car crash. The shelter said the van was “crushed” and that in the ensuing chaos, several of the animals went missing, according to a Facebook post. Two of the cats remained missing and one was in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.

“I was thrown to the back and I was trapped in between the kennels and the cargo door,” Rullan told WXIA.

Hammock was booked into the Jackson County Jail on $93,000 bond.