What happened to ‘Mama A’ Alyshia Rushing on I-85?

Last updated: August 24, 2026, 8:44 PM CDT

Before dawn on Interstate 85 in Montgomery, Alabama, first responders arrived at a two-vehicle crash that would leave two young drivers dead and another person hospitalized. One of the victims was 26-year-old Alyshia Rushing, the TikTok creator known as “Mama A,” whose motherhood videos had drawn roughly half a million followers. The other driver was 20-year-old Landon Dunn, identified by family friends as a U.S. Marine. Montgomery police say the cause of the August 22 crash is still under investigation.

What Is Happening

Montgomery police were called at about 2:15 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, to southbound I-85 between Taylor Road and Chantilly Parkway. According to WAKA’s police update, officers found Rushing, who had been driving a 2013 Kia Sorento, with fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead.

Dunn, the 20-year-old driver of a 2015 Toyota Tacoma, also suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. A female passenger riding with Rushing was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Earlier reporting said one vehicle was on fire when officers arrived.

The Montgomery Police Department has not released a cause for the collision. Investigators have said the case remains active and that no additional information was available for release as of the latest local update.

The Background

Rushing had built a sizable audience online under the name “Mama A.” The Montgomery Advertiser reported that she had about 500,000 TikTok followers and regularly shared her life as a mother and activities with her four young children, Karter, Raelynn, Zoey and Aydan.

A fundraiser created after her death says her children now face both the emotional loss of their mother and major practical changes in daily life. The fundraiser says support is intended for expenses including food, clothing, housing, school costs, transportation, childcare, activities and counseling.

Interstate 85

The highway where the two-vehicle crash occurred in Montgomery.

Non-life-threatening injuries

Injuries requiring medical treatment that authorities did not describe as expected to cause death.

The Latest Development

The story drew wider attention after police publicly identified the victims on August 24. Rushing’s identity connected the crash to the large online community that followed her family-focused videos, while Dunn’s identity brought a second community into mourning.

WSFA reported that Dunn was a U.S. Marine, citing a GoFundMe organized by a family friend. The fundraiser describes him as deeply connected to his family, friends and fellow Marines. Another account said he had served alongside the organizer for about a year and a half.

The identification of both victims changed the story from an initially unnamed fatal crash into a personal tragedy affecting two families and their wider communities. In Rushing’s case, followers who had watched her document motherhood were suddenly confronting the death of someone whose everyday family life had been unusually visible online.

What It Means

The immediate impact is on the families of both victims. Rushing leaves four children, while Dunn’s fundraiser says his family has lost a son and brother. Fundraising efforts for both families are focused on funeral costs and ongoing needs after the deaths.

For Rushing’s audience, the case also shows how a local traffic tragedy can quickly become national online news when one of those involved has a large social-media following. Her audience numbered in the hundreds of thousands, so confirmation of her death spread far beyond Montgomery soon after her identity became public.

Police are still seeking information connected to the crash. Earlier WSFA coverage of the investigation listed Montgomery police at 334-625-2651 and Crime Stoppers at 334-215-7867 for people with relevant information.

What Remains Unclear

The central unanswered question is what caused the collision. Police have not publicly identified a factor such as speed, impairment, distraction, road conditions or mechanical failure, so none can be treated as an established explanation.

There are also inconsistencies in early reporting about the injured passenger’s gender, with later named-victim reports describing a female passenger and an earlier WSFA report describing a male passenger before noting that the story had been corrected following information from police. The consistent point across the later accounts is that one passenger survived and was hospitalized with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

FAQ

Who was Mama A?

Mama A was Alyshia Rushing, a 26-year-old TikTok creator who shared videos about motherhood and life with her four children.

How did Alyshia Rushing die?

Rushing died after a two-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 85 in Montgomery, Alabama, early on August 22, 2026.

Who else died in the I-85 crash?

Police identified the other driver as 20-year-old Landon Dunn. He was described in fundraising material as a U.S. Marine.

Were there any survivors?

Yes. A passenger in Rushing’s vehicle was taken to a hospital with injuries authorities described as non-life-threatening.

What caused the crash?

Montgomery police have not released a cause. The collision remains under investigation.

How many followers did Mama A have?

Published reports put Rushing’s TikTok following at roughly 500,000, with WSFA reporting nearly 540,000 followers.