A woman was arrested after she allegedly caused a crash that sent a vehicle careening into three young girls running a lemonade stand in North Carolina.
Officials say that the accident happened when Haley Erin McCorkle, 24, was allegedly trying to run left out of a driveway in Morganton and allegedly hit a Nissan Altima.
The impact sent the Altima off the road and into the front yard of a nearby home where three girls — ages 7, 8, and 9 — had built a lemonade stand and were selling drinks. The vehicle crashed into their stand and left the girls critically injured.
The children were rushed to nearby hospitals in critical condition, two by airlift and one by ambulance, according to WHO13.
Neither of the drivers was hurt in the crash.
McCorkle has been charged with failure to yield the right of way causing serious bodily injury. North Carolina state troopers said there is no indication that speed or impairment contributed to the crash.
One of the girls' sisters, Elizabeth, told WHO13 that the accident happened in a flash.
“I was right there, and it just happened so fast,” she told the broadcaster. “I just ran and got my mom.”
The father of one of the girls told the broadcaster that the scene was traumatizing to witness.
One of the girls' mothers told WBTV that she thought her daughter and the other girls had been killed.
“I thought my daughter was dead,” the mother said. “I thought all three of these girls were dead.”
The road near the home was closed for two hours while authorities investigated the crash.
