Pregnant woman dies after husband killed in Clarke County crash
Lexi Waldroup and Soonhoon Choi. Courtesy of GoFundMe
CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. - A pregnant woman and her unborn child have died following a violent wrong-way crash on the Georgia Highway 10 Inner Loop in Athens, adding to the toll from a chain-reaction collision that unfolded early Saturday.
What we know:
Athens-Clarke County Police Department said officers were first alerted around 12:08 a.m. to reports of a vehicle traveling the wrong direction near Chase Street. Moments later, police received calls about a crash near Oglethorpe Avenue.
Investigators determined a 2021 Kia Seltos, driven by 26-year-old Desiree Browning of Lawrenceville, was heading the wrong way when it struck a 2021 Mercedes-Benz and a 2020 Ford Expedition, then continued before colliding head-on with a 2017 Toyota Camry.
The impact forced the Kia into cable barriers, where it caught fire. Police said the driver of the Toyota, 25-year-old Soonhoon Choi of Athens, and Browning both died at the scene. A passenger in the Toyota and a passenger in the Kia were taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The occupants of the Mercedes-Benz and Ford Expedition suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
What they're saying:
Family and community members confirmed Monday that Lexi Waldroup, who was pregnant and married to Choi at the time of the crash, has also died along with her unborn child.
Aaron Bedgood, who organized a GoFundMe for Waldroup, shared the update, writing that "what began as hope and prayer has turned into unimaginable heartbreak."
Police said the crash remains under investigation and is the eighth fatal crash in Athens-Clarke County this year, resulting in 10 deaths.