Left: The Hyundai Sonata that pregnant Georgia teen Jaylah Donald was riding in with her mother when a drunk driver allegedly hit it and killed her (WANF/YouTube). Right: Jaylah Donald (GoFundMe/WXIA).
A pregnant woman in Georgia was killed in a "horrific" DUI crash after her mom backed out of a driveway "improperly" and got hit by a drunk BMW driver, according to her family and local officials.
"Her unborn baby did not survive," a GoFundMe description says about the "loving soon-to-be-mother," identified by officials as Jaylah Donald, 19, of Newton County.
"Jaylah was just beginning her journey into adulthood," the description says. "She was full of life, hope, dreams, and excitement about welcoming her first child. … To lose them both so suddenly is a heartbreak that no family should ever have to endure."
Jaylah Donald's mother, Takila Donald, is facing charges for allegedly backing out of a private driveway "improperly" right before the drunk BMW driver, identified by officials as Brandon Robinson, struck the passenger side of the Hyundai Sonata that the pair was in and where Jaylah was sitting, according to a press release sent out by the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
"Takila Donald was backing improperly from a private drive into Fairview Road … and failed to yield while entering the roadway," the press release says, noting how Robinson was traveling west on Fairview Road. "The BMW struck the Hyundai on its passenger side. The passenger of the Hyundai (Jaylah Donald) was pronounced deceased at the scene. It was discovered Jaylah was pregnant and the unborn child was also deceased."
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Takila Donald was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries after the crash and is currently on a ventilator, with her family telling NBC affiliate WXIA they are unsure if she will pull through. Robinson was transported with multiple injuries as well.
"Charges are pending for the drivers of both vehicles," the release says.
Jaylah Donald's grandmother, Genette Anderson, spoke to local TV station WANF about arriving on the scene to find the teen dead. She said their family was celebrating Thanksgiving together at a residence near Crestfield Circle in Newton County. Jaylah and Takila Donald were dropping off a neighbor who took part in the festivities.
"When I first got up there, I couldn't breathe," Anderson told WANF.
"My neighbor, the one that my daughter dropped off, he called me because what he did was, when she dropped him off, he went on in the house and they didn't notice anything until they saw the ambulances and commotion out there, and then that's when he called me," Anderson said. "I got to be the strong person and accept it because I can't question God, because at the end of the day, we're all going to have our number."
Jaylah Donald's father, Jonathan Ponds, said he was looking forward to being a grandfather after first being told about her pregnancy hours earlier.
"It was crazy to find out that I was going to be a grandfather and then a couple hours later I lose my daughter and my grandson," Ponds told WANF. "I was actually very ready to embrace the role."
Robinson has so far been charged with a DUI, while the charges pending against Takila Donald were unknown as of Tuesday.
