A Tattnall County woman died Saturday after being hit by a truck, and a Swainsboro man is in custody and charged in her death.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 46-year-old Kimberly Sanders King was at the river when the incident occurred. Tattnall County Deputies were dispatched around 8:18 to a river access road near Magnolia Road in Reidsville where they discovered King had been stuck by the truck. At the time of the incident, King was holding a 3-year-old child. She and the child, along with a 20-year-old female, were walking when the truck veered off the road and toward them.

When King saw the approaching danger, she quickly tossed the baby out of harm’s way before being struck herself.

King was pronounced deceased at the scene. The unidentified 20-year-old woman is listed in critical condition according to GBI reports, and the child was treated and released from the hospital.

The GBI has arrested and charged Jordan Austin Young, age 25, of Swainsboro with Involuntary Manslaughter. He is currently in the Tattnall County Jail and has been denied bond.

Kimberly King who was employed by the Georgia Department of Corrections for many years and friends and coworkers are remembering her fondly, some even referring to her as a hero for sacrificing her own life.

Law enforcement has not released what caused Young to veer off the road, but the GBI and the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to investigate and say additional charges are likely to be forthcoming.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office at 912-557-6777 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Statesboro at 912-871-1121.

The GBI says once the investigation is completed, the case file will be given to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.