JEFFERSON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities have uncovered an eighth body at the scene of a severe highway collision in Georgia involving a semitrailer and a van, reported Deputy Jackson County Coroner Dean Stringer on Tuesday.
The victims were killed Monday afternoon, when a semitrailer struck a van and it burst into flames, according to law enforcement.
The collision occurred along Interstate 85 in Jackson County, roughly 62 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. The semitrailer was reportedly tailing the Dodge van too closely when the incident occurred, according to officials.
Four other vehicles also crashed in what officials described as a “chain reaction” after the initial collision.
Among the vehicles involved in the crash was a van operated by Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters. The driver of this van sustained head injuries, including bruises and cuts, stated CEO Samantha Shelton.
“Amidst the chaos of the accident, cages were destroyed, and cats started escaping,” expressed the Cumming, Georgia-based animal rescue group on their Facebook page.
The organization was in the process of transporting 37 cats to a Vermont shelter when the crash happened, and several cats managed to escape, Shelton noted. As of Tuesday, two cats remained unaccounted for, and one was in critical condition at a veterinary hospital, explained Shelton.
The identities of the people killed have not been released.
“Troopers are still working to identify and confirm the individuals involved,” stated Franka Young, a representative from the Georgia Department of Public Safety, via email on Tuesday afternoon.
Seven people in the van died at the scene, authorities said shortly after the crash. The eighth body was discovered later at the crash site, but details about where the person was found were not immediately released.
The crash is being investigated by the Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team, Young said.
