Woman arraigned in car – train accident
A Gwinn woman is in the Marquette County Jail on a $305,000 bond in connection with a March 28 car – train accident. 24 year old Samantha Jo French was arraigned today in Marquette County District Court on two counts of Operating Under the Influence causing Serious Injury and one count of Possession of Marijuana.
She was driving a Chevy Impala on Ski Hill Road in Little Lake, one block north of M-35 just before 6 p.m. Thursday when she reportedly crossed the railroad tracks in front of an approaching train.
The Forsyth Township Police Department says the woman told them she didn’t see the Canadian National Railway train. The police say there were no lights or gate bars at the intersection.
Three members of her family were injured: her 5 and 6 year old children and her mother. Forsyth Township Police Chief Tim Rector says one of the children and French’s mother are still hospitalized.
French was not injured in the incident. She was arrested at the scene for operating while intoxicated. She is lodged in the Marquette County Jail, scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 10.
The incident is still under investigation.