http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=7559419
TOLEDO -- Five passengers, including an infant, were struck and killed in a crash on I-280 late Sunday night. Three remaining passengers are hospitalized. Drunk driving appears to have been the cause.
News 11 broke this story during our 11 p.m. newscast Sunday night with live coverage from the scene. We continue to bring you coverage from both the hospital and Toledo Municipal Court on Monday.
Officials at Toledo Municipal Court tell News 11 the blood alcohol count for Michael Gagnon, who was driving the wrong way on I-280, came back as .254. That's over three times the legal limit in the state of Ohio, which is .08. News 11 has also learned through the court that Gagnon faces five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
The Toledo Police Department will be holding a press conference at 3 p.m. on Monday. WTOL.com will bring you details of that conference as soon as they become available.
Around 11:00 p.m., officers received a call from employees at a Taco Bell that a man was driving drunk and stopped to get food. By the time police arrived, Michael Gagnon had left the restaurant in a Ford F-350 and got on Interstate 280 driving the wrong way in the southbound lane. Moments later, police say the truck crashed into a Chevy Astro van carrying eight people near the Manhattan overpass. The van was driven by Danny Griffin, Jr, 36.
The two vehicles struck nearly head-on. Both vehicles tried to swerve out of the way of the other. The heavier Ford truck sheared off the passenger-side doors of the van. Several passengers on the passenger side were ejected from the van.
Officers later found out Gagnon had been drinking at a bar in Oregon.
A woman and three children died at the scene. The baby, who was secured in a car seat, died after being transported to the hospital. Three others, including a man and two children, are being treated at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.
Police say five of the passengers, the Griffin family, appear to be from Maryland. They were driving home after visiting relatives in Michigan for the holidays. Three additional children in the car are reportedly from Redford, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
The names of the family are as follows:
Deceased in the accident are
Bethany Griffin, 36
Nadi Griffin, infant (A St. Vincent nursing supervisor says the infant was around 2-months-old)
Lacie Burkeman, 7
Haley Burkeman, 10
Jordan Griffin, 10
Surviving the accident are
Danny Griffin, 36 (serious condition)
Sydney Griffin, 8 (critical condition)
Beau Burkeman, 8 (serious condition)
A press release by the Toledo police states the driver of the pickup truck, twenty-four-year-old Michael Gagnon from Adrian, Michigan is hospitalized in the intensive care unit at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. Officers are waiting for the results of a blood alcohol test. He may be arrested upon discharge from the hospital on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide.
We'll have more details on this story throughout the day.
Statement from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner
Regarding Traffic Deaths on I-280
December 31, 2007
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Danny Griffin. I would ask all Toledoans to pray for those who survived - particularly eight year old Sidney Griffin - who remains in critical condition in St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. The driver of the pickup truck, Michael Gagnon, will be charged upon his release from the hospital and prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.
The tragic accident late last night on I-280 should serve as a stark reminder to all citizens to not drink and drive as we wrap up the 2007 holiday season. The deaths of five people, including four children, need not have happened had one individual had the common sense to not get behind the wheel after he'd been drinking.
Please, if you drink, do not drive. There are several options available for holiday partiers this evening - including free tows from ABCO Towing of Toledo. There is no reason or excuse to drive while intoxicated
