An Oakland County community is grappling with tragedy after a woman was fatally struck by a commercial-grade pickup truck while holding her 1-year-old child. ClickOnDetroit reports that the 29-year-old woman from Warren was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred at the parking lot of Alex’s Market & Grill in Holly Township last Sunday evening.
Responding to the devastating scene around 6:30 p.m., Michigan State Police discovered the woman unresponsive on the ground. After troopers arrived, standing face down on the ground, she was found unresponsive. Her child, also struck, was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle, a 72-year-old man believed to be impaired by narcotics, was arrested under a preliminary investigation, as FOX 2 Detroit details.
The incident occurred as the mother was either placing or removing another child into her car, as stated by police. A search warrant for a blood draw was sought and obtained following the arrest of the 72-year-old driver from Carleton. The current focus of the investigation hints strongly at impaired driving as the cause of the harrowing event, "It does appear at this time that impaired driving is the cause of this crash," Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw reiterated in comments obtained by multiple sources.
ABC12 highlighted the expertise of a drug recognition expert who evaluated the elderly driver on the scene. Arrested at the scene, this prompted the authorities to take the necessary steps for legal proceedings. Reports on the incident will be forwarded to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, addressing the potential for criminal charges. Shaw has emphasized the dangers of driving under the influence of not just alcohol but any drugs, “It does not matter if they are prescribed drugs, marijuana or over the counter, they all impact your ability to drive.”
