Child dies after SUV rear-ends horse-drawn buggy in Southwest Michigan
An 8-year-old girl who was riding in a horse-drawn buggy has died as a result of her injuries from a crash Wednesday morning in Southwest Michigan, state police report.
The horse transporting that buggy also died as a result of its injuries.
The crash happened about 8 a.m. on CR-215 near 60th Avenue, Lawrence Township, Van Buren County.
Troopers from the Michigan State Police, Paw Paw post, reported that a 31-year-old Mattawan woman was driving a Ford sport utility vehicle northbound at the time of the crash. That driver rear-ended a horse-driven buggy carrying two youths: a 12-year-old boy, who was transported to a hospital and listed in critical condition; and the 8-year-old girl, who was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The driver of the SUV was arrested and lodged at Van Buren County Jail on a charge of operating under the influence of an unknown substance. Neither the SUV driver, nor her two passengers, were injured.
Van Buren County Sheriff's deputies and Emergency Medical Services also assisted on site.
The investigation is continuing.
