A 9-year-old girl may be crippled for the rest of her life following a go-cart accident involving a drunken driver, authorities said.

Natasha Hinton and Michael Nix, 11, were on a go-cart on Jan. 13 when a car crashed into them, Stone County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lewis Husband said.

Douglas Barber Jr., 32, of Bay St. Louis, is charged with driving under the influence. He had a blood-alcohol content that met or exceeded the legal limit of 0.08, Husband said.

Michael and Natasha are both recovering from their injuries at their home and their parents remain optimistic of a full recovery, Husband said.

Natasha, “will be in a wheelchair for an extended period of time and … may be a little crippled the rest of her life,” Husband said. “She was banged up pretty bad.”

Natasha suffered a broken arm, pelvis and tailbone. Michael sustained bruises.

The investigation is pending, said the deputy, who provided no further details about the accident. Investigators are in the process of reconstructing the accident to determine how fast Barber was going and what factors led to the collision.