Charges are coming in boat club fatalities
Superintendent says school is ‘reeling’ from deaths of 2 kids
A decision on possible charges was expected Tuesday against a woman accused in the tragedy that killed two young siblings and injured about a dozen others at the Swan Boat Club in Monroe County this weekend.
Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffery Yorkey said in a Monday afternoon news release that he expects to make a charging decision Tuesday, but an official time and date had not been set.
“The Sheriff ’s Department has some additional investigation that must be completed before we can determine final charges,” Yorkey wrote in his release. “We appreciate the public’s patience and know that you understand how important it is to have all of the information in front of us before making such an important decision.”
Yorkey said he would update the public when a decision is made and when the suspect is due in court for an arraignment.
The 66-year-old suspect, whom officials have not named as of Monday afternoon, is alleged to have slammed an SUV into the north wall of the boat club at about 3 p.m. Saturday, moving fast enough to go about 25 feet inside the building hosting a birthday party until it stopped. She was arrested and taken to the Monroe County Jail on suspicion of driving while intoxicated causing death, a 15-year felony.
A brother and sister died and about a dozen others were injured, including several children. The sister who was killed was 8 and the brother either 4 or 5, police have said. The mother of the two dead siblings and their older brother were hospitalized, police said.
Neighbors near the boat club said that before slamming into the birthday celebration, it appeared that the SUV also had hit — or backed into — a small pine tree and a Ford F-150
pickup, damaging the front end, and crashing into it with such force it pushed it back at least a dozen feet, causing it to knock over a wooden fence.
First responders and neighbors described the scene as chaotic and horrific. A loud crash that could be heard several houses down the gravel road, then screams of children, parents, grandparents. Adults rushing to take toddlers to safety.
The two siblings were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Police said that nine people, three of them children, were driven by ambulances and airlifted by two medical helicopters to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries.
A GoFundMe fundraising account, linked at the club’s website, was set up to defray funeral and burial expenses for the children, identified in the account only by their first names as 5-year-old Zayn and 8-year-old Lana and to help their mother, Mariah, and older brother, Jayden, with medical expenses.
According to an update on the family’s GoFundMe page, Jayden went through surgery but is awake. His mother Mariah is also awake, the GoFundMe stated.
Zayn and Lana were students in Flat Rock Community Schools, the district said in a news release. Zayn and Lana attended the Early Childhood Center and Bobcean Elementary, and Jayden is a student at Simpson Middle School.
“Our entire school community is reeling from this devastating news, and our hearts ache for the families and loved ones of those affected by this unimaginable tragedy. Words cannot adequately express the depth of our sorrow, nor can they ease the pain of those who are grieving,” Superintendent Andrew Brodie said in the release.
“In times of tragedy, it is essential that we come together as a community to support one another. Now, more than ever, we must extend our compassion and solidarity to those who need it most. As we navigate through this challenging time, let us lean on each other for strength and comfort, and let us show kindness and understanding to all who are affected by this heartbreaking loss.”
Counselors and social workers were available Monday at Flat Rock schools, Brodie said.