BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (NEWSnet/AP) — A brother and sister died, and several people were injured, some of them seriously, after a vehicle driven by a suspected drunken driver crashed into a child’s birthday party Saturday at a boat club, a Michigan sheriff said.
The incident happened about 3 p.m. at Swan Creek Boat Club in Berlin Township, a community near the Lake Erie shoreline, about 30 miles south of Detroit.
An 8-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother died at the scene, after a as a 66-year-old woman crashed a vehicle 25 feet into the boat club building, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said.
“The scene was described by the first responders as extremely chaotic, with high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” he said at a news conference that evening at the township hall.
Three children and six adults were taken to multiple hospitals via two helicopters along with ambulances, some of them with life-threatening injuries, he said.
Others injured were given first aid at the scene, and some of them were taken to hospitals by private vehicles.
Goodnough did not identify the woman driving the vehicle, but said she was taken into custody to the Monroe County Jail on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death.
The driver was cooperating with authorities, he said, and likely would face more charges as the investigation continues.
Authorities were notified that the woman may have been at a nearby tavern before the incident, Goodnough said, adding they closed that business down and planned to execute a search warrant there as part of the investigation.
"Tonight, we join hands in heartbreak and prayer for those who have lost so much today," the Berlin Township government posted on its Facebook page after the news conference.
"As we await further updates on the condition of all the victims involved, we humbly request the citizens of Michigan to keep these affected families in their thoughts and prayers," state Rep. Jaimie Thompson, whose district includes the community, said in a Facebook post.
Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.
Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.