A young brother and sister were killed and more than a dozen people injured when a suspected drunk driver slammed into a children’s birthday party Saturday afternoon in Michigan.
The deceased victims were identified only as an 8-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother. The driver was identified as a 66-year-old woman.
“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,” Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said Saturday while holding back tears.
Family and friends had gathered at a birthday party at Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township, about 25 miles south of Detroit on Lake Erie.
Kathleen Kildee/Detroit News via AP
Authorities respond to the Swan Creek Boat Club after a driver crashed a vehicle through a building where a children’s birthday party was taking place, Saturday in Berlin Township, Mich. (Kathleen Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Around 3 p.m., the 66-year-old woman careened into the boat club building in her SUV. According to police, she was so out of control the vehicle didn’t stop until it was 25 feet into the building.
Investigators believe the driver was at a nearby bar, Verna’s Tavern, before she got behind the wheel. Police temporarily shut down the bar but it was reopened by Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Authorities estimated that 15 people were injured, including three children and six adults who suffered life-threatening injuries and were rushed to local hospitals by two helicopters and multiple ambulances.
Other people were transported to medical facilities in private vehicles.
The driver was detained at the scene and Sheriff Goodnough said she was cooperating with authorities. She was jailed on suspicion of DUI resulting in death, and the sheriff said she would likely face additional charges.
Swan Boat Club remained closed on Sunday.
“There was a terrible accident at Swan today with many injuries, and much damage to the pavilion,” the club wrote Saturday on Facebook. “Please keep all the people and families in attendance in your prayers.”
With News Wire Services
