Attorney: Scene at Swan Boat Club crash looks like 'bomb went off'

Photos released of the immediate aftermath of the Swan Boat Club crash that killed two children and left nearly a dozen more people injured show a scene that victims said looks "like a bomb went off," the civil attorney representing the victims said Wednesday.

Detroit attorney Jon Marko added seven victims to the lawsuit he filed last week representing the victims of the crash, joining Mariah Dodds and her son, the mother and brother of the two children who died in the crash. Dodds' two children, 4-year-old Zayn Phillips and 8-year-old Alanah Phillips, were killed in the crash.

Some crash victims thought that a bomb had been planted in the club because of the force the car had when it went through the wall, landing 25 feet into the building, Marko said during a virtual press conference.

"It does look like a bomb went off (in the boat club)," Marko said. "If I showed these photos to you without any context and you saw the devastation and wreckage..., it looks like a bomb went off."

Marko said he expects there to be more victims and defendants added to the lawsuit in the future. But the victims are focused on trying to heal, cope and get their affairs in order. He and his co-attorney Michael Jones declined to give updated conditions on the injured victims, but said their injuries were severe.

"This is a catastrophic event," Marko said. "All the money in the world is not going to make up for the damage that was caused during this horrible tragedy."

The lawsuit names Marshella Chidester as a defendant. Chidester, 66, is accused of driving under the influence on April 20 and second-degree murder after crashing her car into the Swan Boat Club in Monroe County during a children's birthday party.

Prosecutors said she drove through the side of the building and the vehicle flew 25 feet inside; the defendant's attorney contended Chidester may have had a seizure or a type of neuropathy that affected her and helped to cause the crash.

Chidester's attorney, Bill Colovos, didn't immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

Chidester, who served as commodore of the Swan Boat Club in 2017 and lives 200 yards from the club, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating under the influence of alcohol causing death and four counts of operating under the influence of alcohol causing serious injury. She faces up to life in prison if she's convicted.

More: Monroe Co. woman charged with murder in boat club crash that 'took those babies from us'

The lawsuit also contends Swan Boat Club "negligently constructed and maintained its building where the crash occurred," and constructed the building "in the roadway" without installing a guard rail, cement pole or other safety devices meant to keep a vehicle from crashing through the building.

Marko said the building looks like it was made "as a part of some type of Boy Scout Club merit project," which contributed to the devastation of the crash.

"Any premises owner has a legal duty to keep their property in safe condition and in safe repair," Marko said. "This was a dangerous setup out at the Swan Boat Club given the proximity of the facility to the road. ... If you're going to put a building directly in proximity to a road like that, there has to be some type of protection."

The boat club declined to comment Wednesday, but has been posting on Facebook frequently about fundraisers to benefit the victims from the crash.

"We have no profound words that can heal us after the unimaginable tragedy that occurred yesterday April 20, 2024, at Swan Boat Club, only feelings," the club's board of directors wrote in a Facebook post on April 21. "Sadness, shock, frustration. We are a fellowship of people who band together when tragedy strikes. We need time to process the grief, support each other, support the families directly and indirectly involved, to be in each other’s company."

The lawsuit also names Verna's Tavern, which is the bar that allegedly served Chidester prior to the crash. Bar officials have not responded to requests for comment. 

Chidester's attorney, Bill Colovos, said last week that a search warrant of Verna's Tavern found Chidester only had one glass of wine and a bowl of chili for lunch from 11 a.m. to noon on April 20. He said police were too quick to blame the bar and name them to the media when they "didn't do anything wrong."

kberg@detroitnews.com