Police in Michigan said a suspected drunk driver killed an eight-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother Saturday after crashing into a kid’s birthday party.
More than a dozen adults and children were injured in the incident.
Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said the incident unfolded when a 66-year-old woman, who hasn’t been identified, plowed into a boat club in Berlin Township.
The sheriff said the car through part of the Swan Creek Boat Club around 3 p.m. Saturday and went roughly 25 feet into the structure before stopping.
“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,” Sheriff Goodnough said.
Fifteen people were injured in the collision, with three children and six adults rushed to area hospitals in grave condition, Sheriff Goodnaugh said. The brother and sister were pronounced dead at the scene, and their mother and older brother were among those critically wounded.
Police said the suspected driver was taken into custody on charges of driving while intoxicated causing death. She is being held at the Monroe County Jail.
The sheriff also said authorities shut down Verna’s Tavern, the bar where the suspect is thought to have come from just before the deadly crash Saturday. The Detroit Free Press reported the bar reopened Sunday morning.
Sheriff Goodnough said, “We are in the process of executing a search warrant for information as to the business conducted at that day.”
Berlin Township is about 30 miles south of Detroit.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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