NEED TO KNOW
- On Friday, Nov. 28, a pregnant 19-year-old and her unborn son died following a car crash in Covington, Ga.
- The woman, Jaylah Donald, was on the passenger side of a car driven by her mother
- Police allege the driver who hit the mother and daughter was driving under the influence, while Jaylah’s mother also allegedly improperly entered the roadway
A pregnant 19-year-old woman and her unborn son have died after a car crash with a suspected drunken driver near Atlanta.
On Friday, Nov. 28, Jaylah Donald was in a car with her mother, Takila Donald, when another vehicle hit the passenger side of their car as they were pulling out of a driveway just after midnight local time on Fairview Road, in Covington.
“On 11/28/2025 at 12:34 am, Troopers were dispatched to a two-vehicle wreck with a fatality on Fairview Road near Crestfield Circle,” the Georgia Department of Public Safety said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Upon arrival, the investigation determined a black Hyundai Sonata was backing improperly from a private drive onto Fairview Road. A BMW was traveling west on Fairview Road. The driver of the Hyundai backed improperly and failed to yield while entering the roadway.”
The statement continued, “The BMW struck the Hyundai on its passenger side. The passenger of the Hyundai was pronounced deceased on scene and was found to be pregnant. The driver of the Hyundai was life-flighted to Grady Hospital. The driver of the BMW had a complaint of injuries and was found to be DUI.”
The police added that the crash is still under investigation.
Jaylah, who was sitting in the passenger seat, died at the scene. Her unborn son, with whom she was seven months pregnant, also died. Takila remains in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.
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In a statement to PEOPLE, the police identified the driver of the BMW as Brandon Robinson. While authorities allege Robinson was driving under the influence, charges are pending for both drivers.
“When I first got up there, I couldn’t breathe, for one thing,” Jaylah’s grandmother Genette Anderson told Atlanta News First.
Anderson had been celebrating Thanksgiving with her family when Jaylah and Takila left to drop off a neighbor.
“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 told the outlet. “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.”
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Jaylah had planned to go to college after the birth of her son and had only told her father that she was pregnant a few hours before the crash.
“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,” Jaylah’s father, Jonathan Ponds, told Atlanta News First. “I was actually very ready to embrace the role.”
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A GoFundMe page has raised $4,290 out of a $6,500 goal as of Monday, Dec. 1.
The funds will go towards Jaylah’s funeral, a memorial for both her and her son, as well as support for her family.
“Jaylah was just beginning her journey into adulthood,” the fundraiser reads. “At 19, she was full of life, hope, dreams, and excitement about welcoming her first child. She carried her baby with pride and joy, always smiling and glowing with love. To lose them both so suddenly is a heartbreak that no family should ever have to endure.”
Read the full article here


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