A Windsor woman remains in critical condition in a Detroit hospital after her child and stepchild were killed Thursday in mile-long pile up on Michigan’s Interstate 75.
A spokesman at Detroit Receiving Hospital said Kim Barrett remains in critical condition. Her partner Glen Greenwood is in good condition. Police are not releasing the names of the children who died in the crash.
A seven-year-old boy died at the scene of the crash. A nine-year-old girl was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, where she died. A third child remains at Children’s Hospital. Her condition is unknown.
Crisis teams were on hand Friday at Glenwood Public School in Windsor and Saint-Jean-Baptiste elementary school in Amherstburg, where the students attended.
Staff at Glenwood sent home letters Friday to inform families that a Grade 2 student had died as a result of the I-75 crash. The flag was flying at half-mast at Saint-Jean-Baptiste where the other child attended class.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” said Saint-Jean-Baptiste principal Nicole Larocque. “We’re deeply saddened. It’s a huge loss for the school, and we offer our sympathies to the family.”
When she learned what happened Thursday night, Larocque said she started making calls to ensure a team would be at the school Friday for children learning about the tragic news.
Psychologists and social workers were working with the children at both schools, in classrooms, small groups and individually.
“We are keeping an eye on the kids and assessing their needs,” said Larocque.
The hospital received seven patients from the I-75 crash, suffering a range of injuries including cuts, bruises, lacerations, broken bones and head and neck injuries. Doctors performed surgery on three victims. Two victims remain at the hospital. One is in good condition, and the other is in critical condition.
The multi-vehicle crash happened Thursday morning in the southbound lanes of I-75 near Springwells Street, about two miles west of the Ambassador Bridge.
Michigan State police said the first crash happened around 9:15 a.m., setting off a series of five more crash scenes over a one-mile stretch. Between 30 and 35 vehicles were involved.
Police the Canadian family’s vehicle was in one of the subsequent crashes.
A third person, from Allen Park, Mich., was also killed in the pileup. Local 4 News has reported he was 54-year-old Menlaos “Larry” Manolis.
Emergency personnel respond at the scene of one of a mile-long series of crashes along Interstate 75 on the southwest side of Detroit Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. At least three people are dead, including two children, and 20 more were injured in the pileups. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Romain Blanquart)
A truck is pinned under a trailer on Southbound 23 in Grand Blanc, Mich., which closed for almost three hours after a 33-vehicle wreck Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Sammy Jo Hester)
A section of multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 is shown in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. Snow squalls and slippery roads led to a series of accidents that left at least three people dead and 20 injured on a mile-long stretch of southbound I-75. More than two dozen vehicles, including tractor-trailers, were involved in the pileups. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A firefighter helps a woman out of a car as emergency personnel responds to a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. Snow squalls and slippery roads led to a series of accidents that left at least three people dead and 20 injured on a mile-long stretch of southbound I-75. More than two dozen vehicles, including tractor-trailers, were involved in the pileups. (AP Photo/The Detroit News, David Coates)
A section of multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 is shown in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. Snow squalls and slippery roads led to a series of accidents that left at least three people dead and 20 injured on a mile-long stretch of southbound I-75. More than two dozen vehicles, including tractor-trailers, were involved in the pileups. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A section of multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 is shown in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. Snow squalls and slippery roads led to a series of accidents that left at least three people dead and 20 injured on a mile-long stretch of southbound I-75. More than two dozen vehicles, including tractor-trailers, were involved in the pileups. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
