SOUTH HAVEN, MI (WHTC) - A three-vehicle pileup east of South Haven last evening killed three persons, hospitalized two more, and will lead to criminal charges.

According to Van Buren County Sheriff’s Deputies, an unnamed 38-year-old Alabama man was attempting to pass a slower car ahead of him on County Road 388 approaching 62^nd Street when his westbound pickup slammed head-on into an eastbound car. The force of the collision sent his truck into the slower car.

The driver of the eastbound car, 24-year-old Brittney King of Bangor, was killed instantly, along with two unsecured children in the back seat, four-year-old Cassadi Berryhill and her two-year-old sister Kandice. Her boyfriend, 24-year-old Justin Berryhill of Grand Junction, the father of the youths, along with the truck driver, were hospitalized in stable condition, while the third driver involved, 38-year-old Kathy Fuentes of South Haven, was not hurt.

Deputies say that the truck driver’s license had been suspended, and he allegedly admitted drinking prior to getting behind the wheel. A check of his past driving record shows seven prior drunken driving convictions. The case will be presented to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office for review.