SOUTHGATE (WWJ) - A Riverview woman has been charged with driving drunk when she allegedly caused a wrong-way crash that killed one, injured three and caused a pregnant woman to lose her fetus over the weekend.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Alyssa Taylor Usher, 30, of Riverview with Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death, and two counts of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Serious Injury in the fatal crash on St. Patrick's Day eve.
According to Southgate police, officers responded to reports of collision around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday (March 16) at the intersection of Allen Road and Orchard Avenue.
When police arrived at the scene, they located 44-year-old Lillian Caldwel of Port Huron unresponsive in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle along with an injured 25-year-old woman -- identified as Caldwel's daughter -- in the center rear passenger seat and a three-year-old girl in the driver's side rear passenger seat suffering from multiple injuries.
The 31-year-old driver of the vehicle from Allen Park and a 52-year-old Port Huron man in front seat passenger from Port Huron were also injured.
First responders rushed all of the victims to a local hospital for treatment, but Caldwel succumbed to her injuries -- she was pronounced dead later the same day.
The injured 25-year-old woman was over two months pregnant, police said, and lost her fetus as a result of the crash.
"Unfortunately, she woke up today in the hospital, lost her baby and lost her mom," said Detective Sergeant Nathan Muszynski.
Based on their preliminary investigation, police claimed Usher was driving left of center and traveling southbound in the northbound Allen Road lanes of traffic when she struck the victim's vehicle head-on.
"This was a preventable tragedy and the second serious crash in weeks in the City of Southgate resulting in serious injury or death due to drivers operating while intoxicated. Our hearts go out to the victims of these crashes," Southgate police said in a statement/ "Their lives will forever be changed. We want to remind everyone to not drink and drive. If you make the choice to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, we will arrest you and be asking for the maximum allowable jail time."
Wrothy echoed the sentiment's from officers, adding the tragic incident is yet "another example of the proliferation of violence that occurs when someone is behind the wheel of a car and blatantly fails to follow the rules of the road."
"A car is yet another possible instrumentality of death - especially if one is allegedly not even sober enough to operate it," Worthy said.
Usher was arraigned Tuesday morning. She was given a $1 million cash/surety bond and ordered to wear an alcohol and GPS tether.
The Probable Cause Conference is scheduled for March 28 and the Preliminary Examination is scheduled for April 4.
