Posted on 12/31/2007 3:07:00 AM PST by ShadowDancer
5 Dead in Head-on Collision on I-280
Police believe victims were a family from Maryland
Last Edited: Monday, 31 Dec 2007, 5:26 AM EST
Created: Monday, 31 Dec 2007, 12:33 AM EST
An alleged drunk driver in a black pick-up truck heading northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate-280 near the I-75 interchange collided with a white minivan with eight passengers, killing five.
The five passengers killed were all females -- a mother, two 10-year-old girls, a 7-year-old girl, and a 6-month-old girl. The father, and 8-year-old girl, and an 8-year-old boy survived.
Four of the family members died at the scene of the crash, Toledo Police say. The infant died after being transported to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.
All of the surviving victims, including the alleged drunk driver, were also taken to St. Vincent for treatment.
Police believe the family is from Maryland because the white minivan had Maryland license plates.
The accident happened right before 11 p.m. Sunday, an hour before New Year's Eve.
The force of the impact was so severe that the pick-up truck sheared off the passenger side of the minivan, killing those on the right side of the vehicle.
"The preliminary report we have is that a pick-up truck going the wrong way on I-280 here and hit a minivan head-on," said Sgt. Jeff Pachall, Toledo Police spokesperson. "The sole occupant of the pick-up truck is injured but alive.
"There are several fatalities out of the minivan and it appears to be a family traveling from Maryland."
Police say the family appears to be non-traditional.
The accident happened between the I-75 split and the Manhattan Boulevard exit.
A witness tells FOX Toledo News that he, along with an off-duty emergency medical technician and an off-duty police officer, freed some of the victims from their seatbelts and performed CPR before emergency crews arrived.
Other people told police the appeared to be drunk. Police say the driver, who suffered minor injuries, is from Adrian, Mich.
"The witnesses say he was [drinking], but I didn't talk to him," Sgt. Pachall said. "He looks like he was but I don't have any information. He was struggling with the firemen [trying to treat him]. He was screaming as they were trying to get him out of the pick-up."
Because of his belligerent demeanor, an officer rode with the suspect in the ambulance. Another officer followed behind in a patrol car.
The Lenawee County man admitted to police that he was drunk at the time of the crash.
A search warrant was issued for the driver's blood and sent it away for testing. Results were not immediately known. He is being held at St. Vincent for observation.
The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.
What the hell does that mean?
Terrible writing.
Beats the hell out of me. I didn’t even catch that the first time around.
Bookmark
I was wondering the same thing.
maybe kids adopted from other races
Where's Captain Obvious when we need him?
It means that the husband was a male and the wife was a female.
Local Detroit broadcst TV made no mention of ‘non-traditional’ reference on the 6 AM news.
Why does the drunk driver always seem to survive?
I haven’t had the TV on yet but Channel 4 (Fox) site doesn’t even have the story listed as of yet.
why does it have to be a “white” minivan?....it adds nothing to the story.
Amazing!
I hope he gets some serious jail time.
If it were me...I’d feel lucky NOT to survive.
I simply cannot imagine living with such guilt.....
If one of us southerners said something like that we would be labled and visited by rhe rev’s.
"Five members of a suburban Baltimore family, returning home from the holidays after visiting relatives in Michigan, were killed late Sunday evening when an alleged drunk driver from Adrian, Mich., slammed into their minivan.
Michael Gagnon, 24, was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate-280 near the I-75 interchange when his Ford F250 pick-up collided nearly head-on with the Chevy Astro minivan.
The five passengers killed were all females -- Bethany Griffin, 36, the mother, Jordan Griffin, 10, Haley Burkman, 10, Lacie Burkman, 7, and Vadi Griffin, 6 months.
The father, Danny Griffin, 36, and two other children, Sidney Griffin, 8, and Beu Burkman, 8, survived.
Vadi was secured in a child seat but several of the family members were ejected from the torn minivan.
All of the surviving victims, including the alleged drunk driver, were also taken to St. Vincent for treatment.
Check out the video, still unedited at this hour. Clear shots of the apparent suspect with blood on his face, but walking around talking to cops.
WWJ 950 AM had it. Bit of a different story.—
Five Killed In Crash Just South of Michigan Border
WWJ Reporting
A terrible tragedy to report on this New Years Eve.
Five members of a Maryland family, including a mother and four children, were killed last night when their minivan collided head-on with a pickup that was reportedly traveling the wrong way on I-280 in North Toledo — just south of the Michigan border. According to reports, the minivan, carrying eight people in all, and a Ford pickup truck, with a Michigan registration, collided just south of I-75 at about 11 p.m. Police confirmed the five deaths, including that of a 6-month-old. Police believe the family was headed home after a Christmas celebration, and say toys and stuffed animals were scattered across the freeway. The names and ages of the other victims have not been released. The pickup driver was transported to the hospital.
http://www.wwj.com/Five-Killed-In-Crash-Just-South-of-Michigan-Border/1408674
No seatbelts is appears.
Link? Sounds like a third version, each with variances.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.