Local News

TOLEDO, Ohio (WJZ/AP) ― A drunk driving accident in Ohio devastates a Baltimore County family, who was on their way home after visiting relatives for the holiday.

A mother and four children were killed.

The father and two children survived.

Derek Valcourt reports police are blaming a drunk driver whose blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.

The family and the Chevy Astor van they were riding in didn't have a chance.

"Never seen an accident this bad nowhere, and I'm a truck driver, and I've never seen an accident this bad," said Johnny Cleveland.

Police say the drunk driver of a pick-up truck was going the wrong way on an Ohio interstate when the two vehicles collided.

The truck essentially tore off the passenger side doors to the van ejecting several of the eight family members in the van and leaving holiday packages strewn across the roadside.

Frantic efforts to save some family members weren't enough.

"This is one of the more tragic ones anyone in our job will see," said Assistant Fire Chief Luis Santiago. "There's a total of five deceased from one family.  That's a hard thing to go through."

Among those killed, 36-year-old Bethany Griffin, her 10-year-old daughter Haley from a previous marriage, 7-year-old Lacie also from a previous marriage, her stepdaughter 10-year-old Jordan Griffin, along with her 8-week-old daughter Vadi Griffin.

Among the survivors, 36-year-old Danny Griffin, his 8-year-old daughter Sydney, and his 8-year-old stepson Beau Burkman.

Stepson Brett Burkman was not in the van with the family at the time of the crash.

The family, save for Jordan and Sydney who live in Michigan, lived in a home in Carney, Baltimore County.

Neighbors are stunned and saddened by the tragic news.

"It's a very tragic story. I'm very sorry for their loss and everything, my condolences go out to them," said neighbor Richardo Locklear.

"My husband and I were just numb this morning when we heard about it. We were just like 'oh my gosh,'" said neighbor Maureen Gloria.

Police filed charges against 24-year-old Michael Gagnon of Michigan.

Gagnon had a blood alcohol level of .254. That's three times the legal limit.

He is charged with five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.

Gagnon was taken to a hospital with an injured jaw and remained

there Monday. He will be taken to jail as soon as he is released from the hospital, authorities said. 

Samuel Gagnon, Michael Gagnon's brother, told The (Baltimore) Sun that he, his brother and their cousins were drinking at a hotel.

Their sister was supposed to drive them home, but Gagnon said his brother took off in the truck without telling anyone.

"I don't know why he decided to leave," Samuel Gagnon told the newspaper. "Everyone's in shock. We're supposed to be celebrating the New Year, but now I got to look forward to my brother in jail the rest of his life."

When reached later by The Associated Press, Samuel Gagnon declined comment.

Michael Gagnon also had been drinking at a bar Sunday night, authorities said. He then stopped at a fast-food restaurant in a Toledo suburb just before the crash, said Lt. Hank Everitt of the Oregon police department.

Workers at the restaurant called police, but Gagnon left before an officer arrived, Everitt said. Soon after Gagnon left the restaurant, a 911 call came in about a wrong-way driver on the interstate.

Gagnon crossed a towering cable-supported bridge into Toledo and continued in the wrong direction, missing other motorists, police said.

"He hasn't crashed into anybody?" a dispatcher asked one driver. The man replied "not yet."

At least four other drivers also alerted police just before the crash.

Danny Griffin was listed in serious condition Tuesday; Sidney Griffin was in critical condition; and Beau Burkman was released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)