Girl, 6, killed in crash; father was critically injured

Police: Alcohol use appears to be a factor

Police were looking for a Hyundai Sonata after reports of reckless driving moments before the car slammed into vehicles stopped for a red light in Waterford Township, killing a 6-year-old girl, police in Waterford said.

The accident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, on M-59 at Airport Road, and it left a family devastated as a young girl was dead and a father critically injured, Waterford police said Thursday morning.

Further, police said it appears alcohol use is involved.

The girl was a passenger in her father’s car, sitting in a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox at the light, behind the wife and mother’s car, a newly purchased 2018 Ford Fusion.

The family had just left the Mitsubishi dealership on Highland Road (M-59) after the wife had purchased Ford Fashion, according to a report from WDIV.

“Just prior to the accident, the Hyundai had been reported as a reckless driver, last seen near Scott Lake Road and Pontiac Lake Road, and officers were inthe area attempting to locate the vehicle,” Waterford Police Chief Scott Underwood said in a release. “Initial calls to 911 reported that same vehicle involved in the crash at Highland Road and Airport Road.”

The family struck is from Waterford, and the driver of the 2016 Hyundai Sonata is a 28-year-old Waterford man.

The wife and mother suffered minor injuries in the crash, which also caused minor damage to a 2019 Chrysler Pacifica that was in the next lane.

“The driver of the Hyundai was transported to a local hospital and was admitted with non-life threatening injuries,” Chief Underwood said. “He is under arrest for his role in the

crash and it appears alcohol was a factor. Investigators will present the facts of this incident to the Oakland County

Prosecutor’s office for their review and expect himto be charged.”

The investigation is ongoing, and police would like to talk to other witnesses.

If anyone saw the accident or has any information about the situation, they should call Waterford police Sgt. Michael Harris at 248-618-6064.

This is another tragic story out of the township, following the homicide earlier this month inside a family home, with a husband now charged with murder in the death of his wife and mother of their child, who was home at the time of the incident. Jessica Kuchon, 39, was killed on Oct. 2 inside her home, stabbed to death along with the family dog.