Community mourns death of Metro Detroit woman run over by car in parking lot while holding her baby
A community in Oakland County is grieving the death of a woman who was killed after being hit by a car in a Holly Township business parking lot while protecting her young child.
Madison Lewis is mourning the loss of her dear friend, 29-year-old Sam Skinner, who was killed suddenly on Sunday.
"You're never prepared for something like this. Nobody ever is. You don't expect it to happen," Lewis said. "Having somebody this close to you get into a horrific accident all of a sudden, definitely puts your life in a different perspective."
The incident happened in the parking lot of Alex's Market and Grill in Holly Township around 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Michigan State Police say Skinner was holding her 1-year-old daughter while tending to another child in the car. A 72-year-old man then pulled out of the spot next to Skinner's vehicle, hit her with her baby in hand, and ran them both over, according to police.
Skinner died at the scene. Her baby survived and is recovering with broken bones in the hospital.
"We're all taken by surprise with even the situation at how it happened. Just a careless person. Could have been anybody," Lewis said.
may have been under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident. He's been arrested, and the case is under investigation.
Meanwhile, friends and loved ones of Skinner are reflecting on memories of a woman they say touched the lives of every person she met.
"She was very, very kindhearted. A beautiful soul. Whenever she walked into the room, the room just lit up. She definitely made sure that everyone was loved, that they knew it," Lewis said.
Lewis says Skinner was selfless, funny, kind and a devoted mom until her last moments. The community is now showing up for her family's future.
"Definitely wish and hope that the police figure out what happened and get justice because this situation wasn't right. Everybody around her loved her so much, and I really, truly hope nobody ever forgets how wonderful of a person she is," she said.