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Siblings killed in crash at child's birthday party in Monroe County
The victims, Alanah Phillips and her brother Zayn Phillips, were at a party at Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township on Saturday –along with several other children– when a suspected drunk driver crashed through the wall and killed both of them instantly.
BERLIN TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - An 8-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were killed over the weekend when a woman drove through the wall of a Monroe County business hosting a birthday party.
Now the 66-year-old driver, who is suspected of being drunk, is awaiting charges and the community is trying to figure out what happened – and why.
The victims, Alanah Phillips and her brother Zayn Phillips, were at the party at Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township around 3 p.m. on Saturday –along with several other children– when the woman speeding down a dirt road crashed through the wall and killed both children instantly.
Zayn was reportedly pinned under the vehicle.
The children's mother, Mariah, and her oldest son, Jayden, remain in the hospital in critical condition, according to a GoFundMe account created by Mariah's sister.
The driver has not yet been identified and won't be until she is arraigned. While the arraignment was expected to take place Monday, FOX 2 learned it is now set for Tuesday.
According to authorities, the Monroe County boat club was full of people celebrating a child's birthday when the woman crashed through. A security camera from a nearby house captured the car speeding through the parking lot before the crash.
The vehicle came to a stop roughly 25 feet inside the Swan Boat Club.
On Saturday, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said there is evidence that the woman may have been drinking at a local bar before the crash; that is still being investigated.
Three others have also been hospitalized with serious injuries due to the crash, while five others suffered minor injuries.
On Sunday at the boat club, Dan Beazley was there honoring the victims with a giant cross.
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Driver expected to face charges after fatal Monroe County birthday class
A suspected drunk driver is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday after she crashed into a Monroe County building hosting a birthday party over the weekend, killing two children.
"This is just complete innocence. They're just sitting there cutting the birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday and their lives are taken from them instantly," Beazley said.
The driver lived just a few hundred yards away from Swan Boat Club. Her neighbor, Ed Wenderski, says he has known her since they were kids.
"She was the nicest person and drove slow up and down the road all the time," he said.
The kids were both students in Flat Rock and the school will have grief counselors and social workers on hand this week.
"It’s horrific, we just can’t figure out how she could fly down this skinny road, make it by all the cars, and actually through two poles, and still manage to go through the wall," said Kaye Ross, who was also paying tribute to the victims on Monday. "It’s just horrifying."
Flowers and toys at the site of the crash that killed two children attending a birthday party on Saturday, April 20, 2024.