Trucker Charged With 8 Homicide Counts In Fiery Crash On I-85: Update

UPDATED at 3:05 p.m.

JACKSON COUNTY, GA — The tractor-trailer driver who authorities said was at fault in a fiery crash that killed eight people after the truck struck a van on Interstate 85 has been charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide, authorities said Tuesday.

The crash happened around 4:15 p.m. Monday on I-85 northbound, south of mile marker 147 in Commerce, the Georgia State Patrol said.

The Jackson County Coroner's Office confirmed to ABC News that an eighth person has died after a semi-trailer hauling chicken feed truck slammed into the back of the 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. That caused a chain reaction crash that involved the van and four other vehicles in the northbound lanes of I-85.

The Dodge van caught on fire, along with the tractor-trailer. All eight occupants in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, the Georgia State Patrol said. The victims' names have not yet been released.

The truck driver has been identified as Kane Aaron Hammock, 33, from Gainesville, according to Georgia State Patrol.

Hammock has been arrested and charged with eight counts of vehicular homicide (second degree), one count of feticide by vehicle (second degree), one count of following too closely, one count of no registration and one count of driver to exercise due care.

Jeff Rogers, Jackson County deputy coroner, said the identities of the three adults and five juveniles killed have not yet been confirmed. There is a possibility one adult was pregnant, a state patrol news release said, but this will not be confirmed until an autopsy has been completed.

The National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Georgia State Patrol, has opened a safety investigation into this fatal crash.

The crash remains under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team. All details provided are preliminary and subject to change as the investigation continues, the agency said.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said the accident forced the closure of all northbound lanes.

Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters posted on social media that it was transporting 37 cats to a shelter in Vermont when its van was involved in the multi-car accident. The driver of the Furkids van was injured, while animal cages were crushed and cats fled the site. On Monday, 32 cats had been found and staffers were trying to recover the rest, and treat injured animals.

"We are devastated for the families affected, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with them," the shelter said.

Jackson County sits about 19 miles west of Athens and about 62 miles northeast of Atlanta.