High-Speed Chase Wednesday Ends in Death of Unborn Baby

A California man is hospitalized and facing multiple charges after a high-speed chase Wednesday afternoon on 85NB that killed an unborn baby.

According to Trooper Sgt Ray Dean with the Georgia State Patrol Hartwell Post 52, on Wednesday, at approximately 11:45 hours, Troopers from Post 52 were requested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to assist in a vehicle pursuit that was traveling northbound on I-85.

Troopers took primary in the pursuit during the initial encounter with the fleeing 2023 GMC Yukon near mile marker 173.

Dean said as the pursuit approached mile marker 175 on 85 northbound, a Trooper successfully performed a PIT maneuver causing the Yukon to rotate clockwise off the east shoulder of the road.

The Yukon struck a guardrail end and overturned multiple times off the east shoulder of 85.

Troopers immediately began to render aid to the injured occupants, one of whom was six months pregnant, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the driver.

Troopers stabilized the injured pregnant passenger until Franklin County EMS could further assess her injuries and she was subsequently lifeflighted with serious injuries to Northeast Georgia Medical Center (Gainesville Campus), where the unborn child unfortunately did not survive.

The driver, identified as Jovontae Marquelle Hill, 31 of La Mesa, California was transported by ambulance to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

The remaining passenger was transported by ambulance to AnMed Health Medical Center with a complaint of stomach pain.

Sgt Dean added that the Troop B Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) responded to the scene, due to the nature of the injuries involved.

Meanwhile, as the crash investigation was being conducted, one of the Troopers at the scene began to feel sick, experience chest pains, and started to become pale.

Another Trooper and Franklin County EMS assisted the Trooper in need to an ambulance, where he was transported to Anmed Health Medical Center. Doctors there confirmed he had had a heart attack.

As of late Wednesday, the Trooper, whose name has not been released, remains hospitalized and was in ICU at the time of this report.

Dean said Hill is facing multiple charges including felony fleeing, feticide by vehicle, and reckless driving.