Woman, 2 Kids Killed In Crash Allegedly Caused By Drunk Driver
GENEVA TWP. (WWJ/AP) - A woman and two young children died after the car in which they were riding collided head-on with a pickup truck driven by an Alabama man with a suspended license who told investigators he had been drinking alcohol, authorities said Wednesday.
The Van Buren County Sheriff's Department says 24-year-old Brittney Renee King, of Bangor, was trapped in the car she was driving following Tuesday night's crash in Geneva Township. The pickup also collided with another car on the roadway about 50 miles southwest of Grand Rapids before coming to a stop.
King died in the crash along with two of her passengers, 2-year-old Kandice Berryhill and 4-year-old Cassadi Berryhill, both of South Haven, the department said. Another passenger in her car, identified as 24-year-old Justin Berryhill of Grand Junction, was listed in stable condition after the crash.
WOOD-TV reported that the children were Justin Berryhill's daughters. While it's not clear if the passengers were using seat belts, police say the children were not using car seats.
The pickup's driver, whose name was withheld pending the authorization of charges, was in stable condition with possible broken bones and several lacerations, the department said. The driver of the other car involved in the crash at about 7:10 p.m., a 38-year-old South Haven woman, wasn't injured.
According to witnesses, the pickup driver was heading westbound and tried to pass the car driven by the South Haven woman in an oncoming lane when he collided head-on with the car driven by King.
The pickup driver has a suspended license, as well as seven prior convictions for driving with a suspended license, the department said. He also has a previous conviction for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. The county prosecutor's office is expected to review the case for charges.
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