HOLLY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A man was arrested Sunday evening after running over a woman while she was holding her child at a parking lot of an Oakland County gas station and market.
Michigan State Police troopers responded to the parking lot at Alex’s Market & Grill in Holly Township on July 27 at around 6:30 p.m. for a report of a person being hit by a vehicle.
When troopers arrived at the scene, they found a 29-year-old woman from Warren face down on the ground, unresponsive. Police said she died at the scene.
Authorities then found a 1-year-old girl who was also hit by a vehicle. She was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“Definitely heartbreaking. People need to be more careful and look around when they are driving, especially big trucks in a parking area with cars and families. It’s just awful,” said Ilene Techner, who was visiting the gas station Monday.
After further investigation, police learned the 29-year-old woman was holding her child while removing or placing another child into her car when the driver of a commercial-grade pickup truck pulled out of the parking spot next to her and ran over the woman and child.
--> Click here to visit the GoFundMe page for the family.
Troopers interviewed the 72-year-old driver from Carleton and believed he was impaired by narcotics.
The 72-year-old man was arrested, and a search warrant was obtained for a blood draw. On Monday, he was released from jail pending the investigation.
“This investigation is still pending other evidence, medical examiner reports and results from the search warrant,” said F/Lt. Mike Shaw. “It does appear at this time that impaired driving is the cause of this crash. While many drivers are aware of the impacts of alcohol while driving, we continue to remind drivers the same is true for drug impairment. It does not matter if they are prescribed drugs, marijuana or over the counter, they all impact your ability to drive.”