Amanda Collins 28, and Lillian Grace Collins, 10 months old, killed; Madysen Marie Church 7, critically injured after car collides with pickup driven by Michael Darke, 33.

The woman killed in the Mason County crash Wednesday was likely looking through a pile of mail on her lap when she crossed the center line and the vehicle she was driving was struck by a pick-up truck, resulting in the death of her infant child as well, police said. Meanwhile, Madysen Marie Church, the 7-year-old daughter of Amanda Collins, 28, her mother who died in the crash, took a “direct hit” in the 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5 accident, said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. Church is "not doing well," he said. Church was sitting in the backseat passenger’s side of the vehicle when the accident occurred. Her injuries suffered in the crash are severe, he said. She was taken by Aero Med to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids where she remained this morning. “She is in extreme critical condition,” Cole said. Cole said Michael Darke, 33, of Ludington, was traveling south on Jebavy Drive in the pick-up truck when he couldn’t avoid striking the vehicle driven by Collins. Collins was heading north on Jebavy Drive, crossed the center line and struck a snowbank before her car was hit by the pick-up truck. Amanda Collins’ infant, 10-month-old baby Lillian Grace Collins, died at the scene as well, Cole said. The baby was restrained in a car seat placed behind the driver's seat at the time of the crash. Cole said it’s believed Amanda Collins was distracted while looking at mail in her lap just moments before she drifted over the center line on Jebavy Drive in Hamlin Township. ​ What every family needs to know about wrongful death claims When a person dies as the result of a car, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, or other kind of accident, family members must deal with the tragedy as best they can. Many decisions need to be made, and a wrongful death claim needs to be filed. In Michigan, a claim can be filed by certain family members, but there are strict requirements and deadlines that must be met. It is crucial to speak with a Michigan wrongful death attorney to get necessary information and advice.