The early morning quiet of a Georgia highway was shattered by tragedy — a single moment that changed everything for a young family and left two communities mourning the kind of loss that words can barely touch.

Reagan Dougan, just 27 years old, was doing something so many mothers do: packing up her four children — ages 9, 4, 2, and just 3 months — into the car for a road trip. They were headed to Florida, where her husband Christian waited. A journey meant to bring a family together ended in unimaginable devastation.

It was around 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 6, 2025, when Reagan’s rented Jeep Cherokee, driving along I-95 South in McIntosh County, collided with another vehicle. In the seconds that followed, everything unraveled. The SUV struck the rear of an Infiniti sedan, then slammed into the center guardrail. Witnesses watched in horror as the Jeep erupted into flames.

Inside were five lives — a mother and her four children — lost instantly.

Authorities quickly responded. The driver of the other vehicle survived and was hospitalized. But nothing could be done for Reagan or her children. The highway remained closed for hours as investigators tried to piece together what had gone wrong. A cause has yet to be formally determined, but one thing is painfully clear: one moment took away an entire future.