GIRARD TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – Charges including child endangerment are expected for a 32-year-old Novi man who allegedly crashed his vehicle into a 20 foot ditch and then left the scene.
The Branch County Sheriff’s Department was called to the crash scene around 1:15 p.m. Saturday on County Line Road near Hadlock Road in Girard Township. The initial call was an unknown accident and small child sitting in the roadway.
When they arrived, deputies found the vehicle in a heavily wooded area about 20 feet down in a ditch. The vehicle was abandoned and had struck multiple trees on the way down. There was no child in the roadway.
A passerby told deputies they found the two small children, a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, in the roadway and they were unhurt. Another witness told authorities that a grandmother showed up on scene and took the driver, along with two small children, away from the scene.
The Novi man was later located and transported to Promedica Codwater Regional Hospital to treat minor injuries. The children were uninjured in the accident, although seating restraints reportedly were not used.
Auhtorities say the Novi man could be charged with felony operating while intoxicated, child endangerment, 2nd offense driving while license suspended/revoked an failure to report and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.
