Eight members of same family killed in fiery crash after 'tailgating' truck plows into van

One of the victims was a pregnant mom who was excited to find out the gender of her next baby

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Eight members of the same family killed in devastating six-vehicle crash as a truck driver faces serious charges over the tragic incident in Georgia.

Among the dead were a pregnant mother and five children.

Trucker Kane Aaron Hammock, 33, faces eight counts of second-degree vehicular homicide and one count of second-degree feticide by vehicle. He is also accused of following too closely, operating a vehicle without a current plate, and distracted driving.

Authorities say Hammock's tractor-trailer rammed into the back of a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan on Interstate 85 in Jackson County, Georgia, triggering a 'chain reaction' involving four other vehicles around 4.10pm on Monday.

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The force of the collision caused the Dodge van to erupt into flames, killing all seven occupants at the scene. An eighth victim was later discovered at the crash site.

Family members identified those lost in the accident to WCNC as Kenia Ramirez and Darwin Ventura, along with their child, Kayle.

Ramirez was three months pregnant at the time of the crash, revealed Ventura's mother. Sonia Maribel Ramirez, Kenia's mother, also perished in the fiery wreck, along with her children, Justin, Andy, Natali, and Evan.

The children ranged in age from two to 16 years old, reports Atlanta News First.

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"It's hard because we don't know what to do," Eva Velasquez-Benitez, the mother of Ventura, told WSB-TV. "We are still in shock." She said that Kenia was about to discover the gender of her unborn child and her son had been making plans for their future.

"He's going to have another baby, and then he tells [me], 'Mommy, we're going to buy a house and you can come live with us,'" Velasquez-Benitez revealed.

The family has set up an online fundraiser to help cover the funeral costs.

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"We are devastated," reads the fundraising page, as reported by WCNC.

"In these moments, there are truly no words to describe the pain that comes from the unexpected loss of our loved ones," it continues. "We think not only about the memories made, but those that were yet to come."

A van operated by Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters, transporting 37 cats to a shelter in Vermont, was also involved in the crash. "In the chaos of the wreckage, cages were crushed, and cats began to flee," explained the animal rescue group based in Cumming, Georgia, on its Facebook page.

Hammock was arrested at the scene and was booked into the Jackson County Jail, with his bond set at $93,000, according to Fox 5.

The crash is being investigated by the Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team, Young said. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the crash.