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.
Jail time??? It was a willful, unlawful act resulting in the death of others. How often have any of us heard on tv, radio, in print media, and establishments serving alcohol about NOT drinking and driving? Death for the criminal is the only acceptable solution.
Good thing you aren’t an investigator. You’re suspicions are those of a fool without the ability to reason.
The side of the minivan was torn off. That would have taken out the outside anchor points of the seatbelts.
If I were an investigator I wouldn’t be sitting here reading media reports about an accident like this. I’d be on the scene myself.
Freakin drunk drivers, he should do life
That happened to me, when the right rear wheel of the pickup I was driving parted company with the axle (welds broke). I spun around in the road, hit broadside against a small tree which bent over from the impact. I watched the windshield shatter as the roof bent sideways and hung onto the steering wheel as the pickup tilted onto its side, trying to keep from falling out the open passenger-side window. Definitely slow motion.
I just sat on the ground and held the baby until the ambulances and fire trucks got there.
My monitor got a little blurry at that point.
GUESS!
It could be a rental.
I was involved in a similar incident about 40 yrs. ago.
Teenager and carload of friends ran a stop light and I hit them broadside. Many deaths.
The actual impact seemed so soft, slow. My wife’s and my seatbelts saved us. We had ‘minor’ injuries.
To this day I have trouble w/ cars coming from the right at intersections.
I did a ‘ridealong’ w/ the local police one night.
We answered a code 3, running fast down a major thoroughfare.
I was almost traumatized with visions of a replay of that night 40 yrs ago.
Carolyn
i actually knew her through a pregnancy/parenting forum i am on. she had children from a previous marriage. so i suppose that is why they are saying that.
she had a total of 7 children. 4 died, 2 are in te hospital, and i guess her oldest son wasn’t with them. i can’t even begin to imagine what her family must be feeling right now.
Makes you understand how the Nazis could find people to run their death camps. Some people don’t care what they do to others.
I agree with you totally that he deserves death.
The most he will likely get charged with is vehicular manslaughter.
I am a friend of Bethany and Danny’s. They were all buckled in. If you notice from the pictures, the passenger side of the van was sheared off from the force of impact. They were ejected seat belts and all.
That wasn’t the drunk driver. That was Dan..the father. Even with broken vertebrae in his neck, his first concern was that of his family. He was getting out to check on them and trying to call other family or help. He was in shock. It is a comfort to know he got to hold precious little baby Vadi before she died.
God bless Dan and all of the loved ones and friends of those who were involved in this senseless tragedy. They are in my prayers.
This touches the very core of all who read or hear about it.
Here is another FR thread about it:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1946320/posts?page=64#64
There were two men who were talking on a cell phone in the video...one in striped shirt and cap...one in leather jacket with blood on his face.
Thanks for letting me know. I understand now. I read somewhere that the drunk driver was the guy with blood on his face. I can’t even imagine the horror he was going through at the scene.
My heart aches for everyone involved. I am sorry for your loss. Reading Bethany’s myspace and reading comments about her across the internet tells me she was a great lady.
Take care.
Eight people in a mini-van. Don't they usually only seat seven, at most?
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.