April 21, 2024
At least two young siblings lost their lives Saturday after a suspected drunk driver crashed into a birthday party of children leaving a total of 15 others injured with nine critical at the Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township, Michigan.
News photos released by the Daily Express US showed a damaged structure with a large beach where the car appeared to have hit.
The eyewitnesses quoted by the report as saying that the incident unfolded when a 66-year-old female driver crashed her car over 25 feet into the building hosting the party.
The images show the after-incident visuals with balloons, party cups, and rubble strewn about the wreckage.
According to the official, as the car hit the building, immense panic was triggered with a high emotional toll on the scene.
The deceased children were a young brother and sister as one of them was reportedly pinned under the vehicle.
Authorities scrambled the resources with healthcare experts assisting the injured at the hospitals.
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."
"Three children and six adults were taken to area hospitals by two helicopters or ambulances with life-threatening injuries," he said.
Sheriff Goodnough said the suspect has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and is likely to face additional criminal charges.
The penalty for such an act in Michigan is around a $10,000 fine and 15 years of incarceration.
Swan Boat Club in a Facebook post wrote that there had been a "terrible accident at Swan today with many injuries, and much damage to the pavilion."