Police say charges likely for
40-year-old Oxford mom
TRI-CITY AREA — The 10 year-old girl, seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash on M-53 last week, is making a steady recovery.
The girl, her seven- year-old sister and 40-year-old mother were all hurt in the early morning hours on Wednesday, August 7, after police say the woman lost control of her car at M-53 and Bowers Road in Goodland Township after she fled from police. Investigators suspect the driver, a 40-year-old resident of Oxford, was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
On Tuesday, Det./Sgt. Jason Parks said recent conversations with the girls’ father reveal that the 10-year-old is in stable condition and “now improving.” All three occupants of the vehicle had been taken to McLaren Lapeer Hospital but the 10-year-old was transported by helicopter to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak where she was listed in serious condition.
Police were alerted about the suspected drunk driver after she stopped to ask for directions at a Capac area gas station. She fled from an attempted traffic stop in Imlay City and lost control of the vehicle at M-53 and Bowers Road in Goodland Township.
Parks said the girl apparently suffered internal injuries in the crash but is now “making a lot of positive progress” in her recovery.
The woman was being treated for non life-threatening injuries and was expected to be released from the hospital soon. Her seven-year-old daughter was treated and released.
Parks said it will likely take several weeks before toxicology results are returned to their office but, in the meantime, investigators are preparing a case to present to the prosecutor’s office for criminal charges against the woman.
According to the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office, the driver was northbound on M-53 around 2 a.m. when she lost control of her vehicle at Bowers Road and ended up in the ditch.
Deputy Dave Barrett had attempted to stop the vehicle near I-69 and M-53 in Imlay City but the driver fled and police estimate she was travelling at least 80 miles per hour. Because of that rate of speed and the fact that there were two young children in the car, the pursuit was terminated before the crash.
Investigators believe the driver failed to navigate a curve in the roadway.
Approximately 15 minutes before the crash, St. Clair County officials contacted Lapeer County Central Dispatch after someone at a Capac gas station reported an intoxicated female had been asking for driving directions to Bad Axe and then left westbound on I-69 with two children in the car. Investigators say they’ve since determined that the female intended to visit Caseville for the Cheeseburger Festival.
Investigators discovered the driver’s 2009 Pontiac had improper registration plates and no insurance and her driver’s license was suspended.
“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (Children’s Protective Services) was contacted regarding the children,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
Parks said it’s their policy to contact Child Protective Services when a parent or custodial adult creates a dangerous situation for children in their care.
