Written by: E. George
Published April 26, 2024 @ 3:30 PM ET
SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. – Authorities arrested two drivers following a severe vehicle collision on I-75 southbound at mile marker 206 in Spalding County on the evening of April 1, 2024, that killed one and injured seven. The accident caused the death of a one-year-old child who was ejected and later succumbed to her injuries. The baby was not restrained in a car seat at the time of the crash.
The seven wounded individuals sustained minor injuries and were treated at local hospitals. Road crews clearing the crash debris shut down the area for almost three hours.
The accident involved a 2022 tractor-trailer, a 2013 Hyundai Sonata, and a 2014 Volkswagen Passat that fled the scene after causing the collision. The Sonata reportedly lost control, striking a guard rail, and then the tractor-trailer, which jackknifed, struck a guardrail and overturned in the median.
The reporting Georgia State Patrol trooper arrived at the scene at approximately 7:15 PM and observed a tractor-trailer parked partially in a northbound lane and a group of people on the southbound shoulder frantically waving him over. Upon crossing the guard rail, he saw an unresponsive infant lying on the west shoulder, surrounded by two women.
He found a faint pulse in the baby’s neck and requested assistance from emergency medical services and the Troop D Specialized Reconstruction Team. One of the women, 28-year-old Tiasia Lashawn Hill from Eatonton, said she was the infant’s mother.
Hill stated that another child was changing her 1-year-old daughter’s diaper in the backseat at the time of the accident. She explained that she had removed the child from the car seat before the crash.
The trooper noted that five children were occupying the three rear seats of her vehicle, not having enough seatbelts to properly restrain all of the children to ensure their safety. A Henry County Police officer on the scene transported Hill to the Henry Piedmont Hospital, where her daughter was taken.
A witness said the gray Passat, which had three stickers on the rear glass, suddenly changed from lane three to lane one in one motion. It partially entered Hill’s lane, forcing her to attempt an evasive maneuver.
The tractor-trailer driver explained that he observed the vehicle lose control; however, it was too late for him to avoid it. His truck featured a dash camera that recorded some of the accident.
After viewing the video, it confirmed that the Passat, driven by Cassar, failed to change lanes properly causing Hill to exit her lane unexpectedly and lose control of her vehicle.
On April 2, 2024, he spotted the vehicle with the stickers on local camera systems traveling toward Griffin. The trooper also identified the Passat’s temporary registration tag, which expired that day.
He and another trooper visited the Griffin home where the car was registered and identified 20-year-old Riley Cheyenne Cassar as the driver at the time of the accident. Cassar claimed she did not cause the collision but knew something occurred after she passed a vehicle.
Outside, the troopers noticed that someone had removed two of the three stickers on the car’s rear glass, leaving only one that said, “Baby on board.” They also noted that someone had replaced the temporary license plate with a hard one. When questioned about why the stickers had been removed from her vehicle, Cassar said they were “beginning to peel.” However, photos captured by the cameras showed the stickers appearing in normal condition.
Cassar said she picked up the hard license plate the day prior. After contacting the District Attorney’s Office, the trooper obtained warrants for Hill and Cassar on April 5.
On April 9, Cassar was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, turning movements/required signals/changing lanes, leaving the scene of an accident with damage/injury/death, and tampering with evidence for causing the accident that led to the death of the infant.
On April 9, Hill was charged with five counts of reckless conduct, three counts of improper child restraint over eight years old, and two counts of improper child restraint under eight years old, all misdemeanors.
On April 11, Hill was arrested a second time for violating her probation and charged with misdemeanor willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.
Police reports revealed that Hill faced another traffic violation in the past. On July 18, 2022, Hill was charged with driving without insurance.
The community has expressed outrage over the mother of the deceased child only receiving misdemeanor charges in relation to the death of her daughter while the other driver is charged with vehicular homicide. The public began to do their own research which turned up allegations that Hill may have a pattern of not properly restraining children inside of a vehicle leading to the death of her child.
Photo Credit: Facebook
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On Monday, April 1, 2024, at approximately 1910 hours, TFC C. Williams #819 and I, were dispatched to an Accident with Injuries (reference crash report: C000940624 and SCRT/D case# SCRTD-027-24) on Interstate 75 Southbound at mile marker 206 in Spalding County, Georgia. Upon our arrival, I observed a tractor trailer partially in the #1 northbound travel lane. Upon exiting my patrol vehicle which I parked behind the cab of the tractor trailer in the northbound lane, multiple people on the southbound shoulder waved me over with a hurrying fashion.
After crossing the guardrail, I observed a 1-year-old female laying on the west shoulder unresponsive. I began to check for a pulse which was very faint in her neck. I observed two females near the child. One of whom was later found to be the mother of the child, identified by a picture of her Georgia Driver’s License and her name and date of birth as Ms. Ti’Asia Lashawn Hill (DOB: [REDACTED BY AGENCY]1995). Due to the severity of the collision, I requested the assistance of the Troop D Specialized Reconstruction Team. TFC V. Purugulla #912 responded to assist.
During my questioning of Ms. Hill about the collision, she informed me the 1-year-old was having her diaper changed by another child in the backseat. She stated she removed the child from the child seat prior to the collision. There were five children for three seats in the rear. I informed her E.M.S. personnel were on the way. After their arrival I spoke with a Henry County Police Officer who I requested to transport Ms. Hill to the Henry Piedmont Hospital where her daughter was being taken.
I asked the other adult who was in the vehicle, identified by her Georgia Driver’s License as Ms. [WITNESS #1] (DOB: [REDACTED BY AGENCY]1991) what kind of child seat it was and what position all of the children were sitting in. She stated it was a forward-facing seat directly behind her, with a child to the right of the child seat.
I then spoke with a witness on scene who described a non-factory gray in color sedan as the vehicle which left the scene after causing the collision. The witness, identified by his Kentucky Driver’s License as Mr. [WITNESS #2], stated he observed the sedan change lanes from the #3 lane to the #1 lane in one motion, partially entering the lane of Ms. Hill and causing Ms. Hill to attempt an evasive maneuver. He stated the vehicle had multiple stickers on the rear glass.
I then spoke with the driver of the tractor trailer involved, identified by his Kentucky Commercial Driver’s License as Mr. [WITNESS #3]. He stated he observed the vehicle lose control at a point in which it was too late to make an evasive maneuver. His truck was equipped with a dash camera which was running at the time and partially recorded the incident. I obtained a copy of this video from his company later in the night.
In the video, I observed the vehicle, later identified as a 2014 Volkswagen Passat with Georgia temporary registration of [REDACTED], fail to change lanes properly, causing Ms. Hill to exit her lane unexpectedly and lose control of her vehicle. A later investigation led to the discovery of three stickers on the rear glass. The temporary registration plate expired on April 1, 2024. On April 2, 2024, I began to look for the vehicle on local camera systems and observed the vehicle with three stickers traveling towards the city of Griffin.
The vehicle was registered to two people, with a registered address in the area. TFC Purugulla and I visited the location to check the vehicle for any damage and make contact with the registered owners. We spoke with both registered owners before confirming the driver on the day of the accident. She was identified by Georgia Driver’s License as Ms. Riley Cheyenne Cassar (DOB: [REDACTED BY AGENCY]-2003). Ms. Cassar stated she did not cause the collision but knew something took place after she passed a vehicle.
After inspecting the vehicle for any damage, it was found that two stickers were removed from the window. Ms. Cassar stated those stickers were beginning to peel. However, on photos of the vehicle captured by cameras the stickers appeared to be in normal condition. The only sticker which remained was a “baby on board” sticker on the far left of the rear glass. The temporary plate was also replaced with the issued hard plate of [REDACTED]. Ms. Cassar stated she picked up the plate on April 1, 2024.
Nearing the conclusion of the preliminary investigation I contacted the Spalding County Solicitors Office and discussed the findings with Mr. [REDACTED]. After contacting the District Attorney’s office, charges for Ms. Hill and Ms. Cassar were obtained. On April 5, 2024, warrants were obtained for Ms. Hill and Ms. Cassar’s charges. On April 9, 2024, both subjects were taken into custody. Ms. Cassar met with TFC Purugulla and I, at Post 1’s office. Ms. Hill was taken into custody in Putnam County by SFC M. Screws #111.
Ms. Cassar was charged with the following: Hit and Run, Improper Lane Change, Reckless Driving, Tampering with Evidence, and Vehicular Homicide in the 1 st Degree (2 counts)
Ms. Hill was charged with the following: Child Restraint Over 8 Years of Age (3 counts), Child Restraint Under 8 Years of Age (2 counts), and Reckless Conduct (5 counts)
[End of Narrative]