A Riverview woman, Alyssa Taylor Usher, 30, has been slammed with charges including Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death after a fatal wrong-way collision in Southgate that left a 44-year-old woman dead and several injured, including a toddler and a pregnant woman who tragically lost her unborn child, authorities say.
The crash, which occurred on March 16 around 9:45 p.m. at the intersection of Allen Road and Orchard Avenue, saw Usher driving south in the northbound lane when she struck another vehicle "head on," according to Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. The pregnant 25-year-old woman, also from Allen Park, was seriously injured, and her unborn child did not survive, amidst the crash also left a 52-year-old man, a 31-year-old man, and a 3-year-old girl hospitalized for their injuries but it's the two counts of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Serious Injury that Usher now faces along with the aforementioned fatality charge lamenting Prosecutor Kym Worthy's remark on the potential deadly consequences of combining cars with intoxication.
In addition, in a grim reflection of the ordeal, the Hoodline reported that Southgate Police described the incident as "a preventable tragedy," with authorities planning to pursue the maximum sentence for Usher's alleged reckless behavior that resulted in loss and suffering on what should have been an ordinary drive along Allen Road.
Meanwhile, Southgate Police Department officials offered their deepest sympathies for the lives irrevocably altered, "Unfortunately, she woke up today in the hospital, lost her baby and lost her mom," Detective Sergeant Nathan Muszynski commented on the tragedy, emphasizing the shattering consequences of driving while under the influence and the somber note pouring from what is not the first incident of its kind in recent weeks with a message so clear the repercussions of drunk driving have etched another dark mark upon the conscience of a community; all this according to reporting from Hoodline.
Usher is currently being held on a $1 million cash/surety bond and is required to wear an alcohol and GPS tether. Her scrutiny under the legal eye will continue with her Probable Cause Conference set for March 28, 2024, followed by the Preliminary Examination on April 4, 2024, before Judge Elisabeth Mullins, which ensures details around the incident will unfold over the coming weeks as the case against her proceeds, based on information from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
