Mt. Airy woman among six killed in fiery I-985 crash
(Gwinnett County Police Department)
A memorial service will be held today for a Habersham County woman who died in a van crash on Interstate 985 in Gwinnett County.
Kristie Whitfield of Mt. Airy was killed along with five other passengers when the van they were in rolled over near the I-85/I-985 split Saturday. Ten others in the van were injured.
Monica Manire is charged with six counts of vehicular homicide, among other charges.
On April 28, Gwinnett Police arrested Monica Manire for reckless driving and six counts of first-degree vehicular homicide. They also charged Manire with improper lane change and four counts of serious injury by vehicle.
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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. The driver of a van that crashed and burst into flames on a Georgia interstate has been arrested and charged with six counts of vehicular homicide, police said Thursday.
Six women inside the van were killed and 10 others also in the van were injured in the Saturday collision outside Atlanta, Fox News reported.
Investigators believe Monica Manire of Byron made a reckless lane change, which caused the van to flip on its side, Gwinnett County police said. She was being held in the Gwinnett County Jail.
Witnesses have told police a second vehicle unexpectedly changed lanes ahead of the van, which then went out of control, rolled onto its side and slid across two lanes of the interstate. The 2002 Dodge Ram passenger van then burst into flames.
Monica Elizabeth Manire, 32, is being held at the Gwinnett County Jail. Author: Joe Henke, Angela Chao Published: 7:27 PM EDT April 29, 2021 Updated: 8:27 PM EDT April 29, 2021
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. The driver of an overturned van in a Gwinnett County crash on Saturday that killed six people has been charged and also has an outstanding warrant in another county, according to authorities.
Gwinnett County Jail records show that 32-year-old Monica Elizabeth Manire has been charged with six counts of first degree vehicular homicide and four counts of serious injury by a vehicle.
There is also a hold on Manire s record out of Houston County, 11Alive s Joe Henke reports. The hold means she was already wanted by authorities in Houston County at the time of the crash.
Corporal Collin Flynn of the
Flynn said GCPD investigators had interviewed survivors and witnesses of the crash and now believe that Manire made a
‘reckless’ last second lane change from I-85 to I-985 on Saturday night, causing the van to flipped with 16 people inside.
I-85 Gwinnett crash victims at hands of Monica Elizabeth Manire.
Six people were killed and 10 others were injured when
.
‘We are going to look into whether or not the van was overloaded, either at capacity for people or capacity for weight,’ Flynn said.
Police released the names of the six victims:
Alishia Carroll, 34, from Columbus
Kristie Whitfield, 44, from Mount Airy