A Clayton County man suspected of driving while drunk ran a red light early Sunday morning, slamming his pickup truck into a car occupied by two teenagers, one of whom was seven months pregnant, according to Morrow police. The expectant mother, 18, was taken to the hospital in critical condition and her unborn child was killed.
The 32-year-old driver of the truck, Jeffrey Cordell Fulks of Morrow, was arrested at the scene and charged with multiple counts, Morrow police spokesman Deputy Chief David Snively said in a news release. Fulks faces charges of first-degree vehicular feticide, serious injury by vehicle, DUI and failure to obey a red light. He was booked into the Clayton County Jail, where he remains without bond and could face additional charges, Snively said.
The crash happened Sunday just before 2 a.m. at the intersection of Jonesboro and Morrow roads, according to Snively. He said the initial investigation indicated that Fulks was driving south on Jonesboro Road in a 2017 Ford F-150 when he ran the red light. At the same time, a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze was crossing west from Lake Harbin Road to continue onto Morrow Road. The truck hit the passenger side of the Cruze, pushing it across the intersection, over the sidewalk and into a pole. The truck continued through several bushes and came to a stop in the parking lot of a BP gas station.
Fulks and the 19-year-old driver of the Cruze were both treated at the scene for minor injuries, Snively said. The pregnant passenger of the Cruze was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained there in critical condition Tuesday, according to police.
Snively said the severity of the woman’s injuries caused Morrow police to request assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, which led to Fulks’ arrest at the scene.
Both teenagers are residents of nearby Forest Park, but police did not release any information about the nature of their relationship.
Later the same day, Morrow police responded to a second suspected DUI crash that left another Clayton woman injured. Officers were called to an area on Reynolds Road near Patricia Drive around 3:30 p.m. about a head-on collision, Snively said.
At the scene, officers arrested 28-year-old Adam Sebastian Hernandez, of Bluffton, South Carolina, on multiple charges related to the crash, police said. Hernandez is charged with DUI, driving without a license, driving on the wrong side of the road and driving with an open container. He was booked into the Clayton jail, where he remains.
The 31-year-old Forest Park woman in the second car was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Snively said.
The investigation into the first crash is ongoing and authorities are asking for assistance from the public. Anyone who witnessed it or has information is asked to contact Morrow police by calling 770-961-4006 or the GSP Specialized Construction Response Team at 404-624-7005.
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