Une « petite dame » ivre provoque la mort lors de l’anniversaire d’un enfant

A drunk driver crashed into a boathouse during a birthday party in Newport, Michigan, killing two children: 8-year-old Lana Philipps and her 4-year-old brother Zayn. Thirteen others were injured, including the victims' mother and an 11-year-old brother who is in critical condition. The driver, 66-year-old Marshella Chidester, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, operating while intoxicated causing death, and operating while intoxicated causing serious injury.

Tragedy at Children's Birthday Party as Impaired Driver Crashes Into Boathouse, Killing Two Young Siblings

NEWPORT, MICHIGAN – A somber atmosphere hung over the Newport community on Saturday, as a joyous celebration of a child's birthday turned into an unspeakable tragedy. A runaway vehicle, driven by an intoxicated individual, crashed into a boathouse where children were gathered, leaving a devastating toll: two young siblings deceased and 13 others injured.

The victims, identified as Lana Philipps, 8, and her 4-year-old brother Zayn, were tragically killed in the crash. Their mother, as well as their 11-year-old brother, sustained injuries; the latter remains in critical condition at a local hospital.

The driver of the vehicle, 66-year-old Marshella Chidester, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, operating while intoxicated causing death, and operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, according to NBC News. Subsequent to the accident, Chidester's blood alcohol content was found to be above the legal limit.

As Chidester appeared before the Monroe County court on Tuesday, her attorney presented a defense claiming that she had been experiencing seizures in her legs since November, leading to paralysis. Allegedly, she had received treatment for this condition on the day of the incident, as reported by The Detroit News. Bill Colovos, Chidester's attorney, asserted that she was driving "like a little old lady," had no prior criminal record, and had only consumed "a glass of wine and a bowl of chili" at a local bar prior to getting behind the wheel.

However, prosecutor Jeffrey Yorkey countered this argument, highlighting the absence of any evidence suggesting that Chidester had experienced a seizure at the time of the accident.

Heart-wrenching testimonies were shared by family members of the victims. "I had to tell my sister that her babies were gone when they took her off life support yesterday. She asked me how she was supposed to live without them," recounted a distraught Raquel Smouthers. "No one should go to a birthday party and think they're going to die," she added.

"She chose to drink and they were my babies. She chose to get in that car, she chose to drive drunk, and she took our babies," lamented Kathy Philipps, the victims' grandmother.

Chidester's bond has been set at $1.5 million.