Police: Lapeer man's drunk driving causes multiple accidents, seriously injuring mom and daughter
Booking photo for 67-year-old Jack Chase of Silverwood, who was charged with multiple drunken driving offenses.
LAPEER, Mich. - A 67-year-old man from a township in Michigan's thumb was arraigned on several drunk driving charges including two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury after allegedly struck a vehicle parked at a traffic light over the weekend.
Jack Chase of Silverwood had a $500,000 cash surety bond set following his arrest in Lapeer County for causing multiple vehicle accidents and seriously injuring two people including a teenage girl.
The Lapeer County Sheriff's office were dispatched to a crash in Mayfield Township around 6:45 p.m. where a 42-year-old man said his truck was struck from behind. He was not injured.
He said that a Hummer
was traveling southbound when it hit his truck, causing a fire. The hummer reportedly fled following the crash.
Then, six minutes later at 6:51 p.m., police were dispatched to another accident involving three vehicles at an intersection nearby. The crash, reported at Daley and N. Lapeer Road, involved a Hummer with a single occupant, a Lincoln MKZ that had three people in it, and a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
According to police, the Lincoln and Chevrolet were parked at the stop light when the Hummer struck the Lincoln. A 51-year-old man, 54-year-old woman, and their 14-year-old daughter were inside. The teen was in the backseat during the crash.
Photo courtesy of Lapeer Sheriff's Office
When the Lincoln was struck, it lurched forward and struck the Chevrolet. The female driver in that vehicle was not injured and declined medical attention.
The occupants in the Lincoln were all injured. The man was taken to the hospital for observations while both the woman and their daughter sustained life-threatening injuries. The woman remains hospitalized in the intensive care unit and the 14-year-old is in serious but stable condition.
Images released by the sheriff's office showed major front-end damage to the hummer. The Lincoln's front end was also photographed wedged under the pickup truck. It had major back-end damage.
Photo courtesy of Lapeer Sheriff's Office
The driver of the Hummer was lodged at the Lapeer County Jail after medical release following his arrest. The crash shutdown the intersection for two hours for rescue and investigative purposes.
Chase was charged with one count of operating while intoxicated, two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, one count of resisting and obstructing police, and one count of failure to stop at the scene of a non-injury traffic crash.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 25.