Driver charged in deaths of 6 after sober living group van crash in Georgia, cops say
A driver is charged in the deaths of six people who were riding in a van when it crashed and burst into flames on Interstate 85 in Georgia, officials said.
Monica Manire was behind the wheel of a sober living group’s van when she was accused of driving recklessly on April 24, the Gwinnett County Police Department said in a news release.
Manire’s actions caused the van to flip onto its side and hit a guardrail, officials said. Six women died in the fiery wreck in the Atlanta area.
The deceased passengers were identified as:
- 34-year-old Alishia Carroll of Columbus
- 38-year-old Normisha Monroe of Norcross
- 26-year-old Ashleigh Paris of Kennesaw
- 34-year-old Rose Patrick of Ellabell
- 53-year-old Tina Rice of Atlanta
- 44-year-old Kristie Whitfield of Mount Airy
At least 10 other people riding in the van — including Manire — were injured and taken to hospitals, according to an accident report.
“We are deeply saddened by the lives lost in Saturday (evening’s) tragic accident,” the sober living group, called We Are Living Proof, wrote Monday on its Facebook page. “We ask that you join us in prayer for the families and loved ones of the ladies we lost as well as the survivors.”
Donnie Richeson, a witness to the crash, told WAGA some members of the support group were preparing to graduate.
Police said the van wrecked northeast of downtown Atlanta. It had been traveling on I-85 north near I-985, both of which experienced lane closures after the crash, McClatchy News reported.
Manire is accused of recklessly changing lanes before the van turned on its side and slid across two lanes of traffic. An accident report released earlier in the case had said a second vehicle switched lanes in front of the van, though the other vehicle wasn’t mentioned in the update about Manire’s arrest.
After the crash, 911 callers described efforts to pull people from the van as it was “fully engulfed.”
Manire is facing six counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle and “four counts of serious injury by vehicle,” police said. She’s also charged with improper lane change.
Manire was arrested Wednesday and taken to the Gwinnett County jail. Though her age wasn’t provided in a news release, an accident report shows she was born in 1989.
