A 43-year-old Manitowoc woman has been charged with three felony counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle after her alleged involvement in a fatal car accident that took the lives of an elderly couple and their engaged daughter in October. The victims were standing outside a home when a van drove into the family members and killed them.
The elderly couple’s son and the fiancée of the couple’s daughter reportedly were at the scene when an erratically driven van struck their loved ones. The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department said EMS workers detected the odor of alcohol on the van driver after the accident.
A blood alcohol test registered more than 0.20 percent. The suspect reportedly told hospital staff members that she consumed two glasses of wine before the crash and declared to an officer that she did not remember driving.
Witnesses, including the suspect’s 6-year-old son, who suffered an aortic tear in the accident, said the minivan driver was traveling fast and weaving on the road. The van’s wheels allegedly skirted the shoulder of the road before the driver lost complete control and crashed into the three victims.
The Two Rivers man and his wife, who died in the pedestrian accident, were 79- and 75-years-old, respectively. Their daughter, the third victim, was 48-years-old. Court documents said all three died of blunt force trauma injuries.
Source: htrnews.com, “Manitowoc woman charged in rural accident that claimed three lives,” Suzanne Weiss, Nov. 23, 2011
