Dr. Hollie Matthews named in reports about a deadly I-16 collision in Bryan County, Georgia

 A family journey on Interstate 16 in Georgia ended in a devastating collision that claimed three lives and left four children hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Among those killed was Dr. Hollie Matthews of Moses Lake, Washington, a physician and business owner remembered by her medical community for years of caring for patients. The crash has brought grief to families in both Georgia and Washington.

The fatal collision happened on eastbound I-16 near mile marker 143 in Bryan County. According to the Georgia State Patrol’s preliminary investigation, troopers responded at about 2:10 p.m. after receiving an initial report of an unresponsive person. Investigators said a 2017 Ford F-250 was traveling in the right lane when it struck the rear of a stopped 2018 Kenworth tractor-trailer, setting off a chain reaction involving another truck stopped because of construction ahead.

Three occupants of the Ford died in the crash, including the driver, a front-seat passenger, and a rear-seat passenger. The vehicle also carried four juveniles who were transported to a Savannah-area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the preliminary account. The identities and relationships of everyone involved were not fully detailed in the information provided, while investigators continue working to establish the complete circumstances surrounding the collision.

Matthews was among those who lost their lives, bringing profound sadness to people who knew her in Moses Lake. Her professional career had centered on medicine, where she worked in family practice after graduating from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She began practicing family medicine in 2004 after completing an earlier general surgery internship, establishing a career devoted to caring for patients and serving communities.

Over the years, Matthews worked with Confluence Health, Samaritan Healthcare, and Columbia Basin Hospital. Her career eventually led her to establish Eudaimonia Medical Spa in Moses Lake in 2025, creating a practice that combined direct primary care with aesthetic services. The business offered treatments including Botox and dermal fillers, reflecting the broad range of services Matthews incorporated into her medical work. Her loss has therefore affected both longtime patients and professional colleagues.

At Eudaimonia Medical Spa, the response has been one of grief mixed with concern for the patients and people connected to the practice. Office manager Deanna Fountain said the practice planned to reach out to patients and others following Matthews’ death. That outreach reflects the practical consequences of losing a physician who had developed relationships with people through years of medical care and through the newer practice she established.

For the children injured in the collision, the tragedy continues beyond the initial crash. They were hospitalized in Georgia with serious injuries, while the Georgia State Patrol continues investigating what led to the sequence of impacts. The preliminary findings describe the vehicles and roadway conditions involved, but an investigation can develop as authorities examine evidence, witness accounts, and other circumstances surrounding the crash. Further official information may clarify unanswered questions.

In Moses Lake, Matthews will be remembered through the patients she treated, the colleagues she worked beside, and the medical practice she built. Her death also leaves family and friends grieving alongside a community that had come to know her through medicine and service. Funeral arrangements had not been announced in the information provided, but the impact of her work remains part of the legacy she leaves behind for those who knew her.