SUMPTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 12-year-old girl who was sitting in the back seat of her family's van when they were read-ended by a suspected drunken driver has died, police said.
The crash occurred July 27, at appropriately 8:18 p.m.
According to Sumpter Township Police, 49-year-old Charles James Cahill, Jr., was traveling northbound on Martinsville road at a high rate of speed when he read-ended a minivan carrying five passengers, including three children.
A 12-year-old girl who was in the third row seat in the van was critically injured immediately after the crash. Sumpter Township Fire Department crews cut the child from the seat and she was flown to Mott Children's Hospital by survival flight.
Police said Cahill tested almost three times the legal alcohol limit at the time of the crash. Futher investigations show Cahill also had 12 prior drunk driving convictions and his license was revoked by the Secretary of State in 1990.
The 12-year-old girl was placed on life support for three days.
Sumpter Township police announced Sunday morning that the child has died, adding charges against Cahill will be amended by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office during his next court hearing.