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A Georgia Truck driver reportedly charged with multiple counts of vehicular manslaughter Eight members die in a horrific highway accident Of a family with five children.
Ken Hammock, 33, was arrested after his semi-trailer vehicle struck the family’s vehicle, causing both of them to burst into flames, authorities said. collision resulting in a “chain reaction” Four more vehicles were involved in a wreck around 4 p.m. Monday on northbound Interstate 85, about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Jackson County Deputy Coroner Jeff Rogers said eight people were found dead in the van and one person may have been pregnant.
The family members identified the deceased as follows Kenia Ramirez and Darwin Ventura with their son, four-year-old Kyle Ramirez.
Kenia Ramirez’s mother, Sonia Maribel Ramirez, was also killed along with her four other children – Justin, Andy, Natalie and Ivan Ramirez. Children whose age was between two and 16 years.
Darwin Ventura’s mother, Eva Velasquez-Benitez, said she learned the horrific news when she woke up Tuesday, telling Atlanta News First that her son was taking the family shopping at the time of the crash.
“It’s terrible. I don’t know how I would live without Darwin, because this is my only family, I only have two children,” Velasquez-Benitez told. Atlanta News First. “I can’t believe it, I feel like I’m in a nightmare.”
Hammock is charged eight counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, Second-degree vehicular feticide, following too closely, distracted driving and driving without current plates are all misdemeanors, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
In Georgia, second-degree vehicular manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
He was booked at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. He remained in jail Wednesday, with records listing “distracted driving” as one of his misdemeanor charges.
Independent The Georgia Department of Public Safety has been contacted for more information about Hammock, including his past record and employment status at the time of the incident.
An investigation revealed that Hammock’s semi-trailer was traveling too close and collided with the rear of a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. “This caused a chain reaction involving the van and four additional vehicles. After the impact, the Dodge van along with the tractor-trailer burst into flames,” public safety officials said in a statement.
One of the other vehicles involved in the accident was a van carrying dozens of cats to a rescue shelter. The van was crushed during the pileup and the frightened animals scattered across the road.
Furkids Animal Rescue & Shelters was taking 37 cats to a shelter in Vermont, and some of the cats escaped after the accident, CEO Samantha Shelton said. As of Tuesday two were still missing, and one cat was hospitalized in critical care.
“In the chaos of the debris, cages were crushed and cats began running away,” the Georgia-based animal rescue group wrote on its Facebook page.
Shelton said the van driver suffered head injuries but was released from the hospital Tuesday morning. “We are very grateful to them – who stayed with our cats even in crisis and did everything possible to help them,” he said.