Brother and sister aged 5 and 8 killed after suspected drunk driver crashes into building hosting birthday party
The driver, a 66-year-old woman, is being held in police custody
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A child’s birthday party turned deadly after a car smashed into a building at a Michigan boat club, leaving two kids dead, authorities say.
At around 3pm on Saturday, April 20, after a vehicle collided with the Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township, stopping 25 feet inside the building, where the birthday party was taking place, according to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Two young siblings, aged five and eight, died at the scene, police said. It was not immediately known whether the party was being held for either of the children.
Emergency services provided aid to 13 other victims, including adults and children, authorities said. Three kids and six adults were then transported to local hospitals with “serious injuries.”
None of the victims have been identified.
An unnamed 66-year-old woman was driving the car, authorities said. She has been taken into police custody on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, causing death. The sheriff’s office noted that “additional criminal charges will likely be brought” against the driver as the investigation advances.
First responders described the scene as “extremely chaotic,” the sheriff’s office said.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Swan Boat Club wrote on Facebook that it will be closed for the rest of the weekend due to a “terrible accident” on Saturday resulting in “many injuries, and much damage to the pavilion.”
“Please keep all the people and families in attendance in your prayers,” the venue said.