One driver seriously hurt; another suffers minor injuries in U.S. 23 crash
A woman was seriously injured and another person suffered minor injuries in a crash on northbound U.S. 23 near Interstate 94 Tuesday morning, Pittsfield Township firefighters said.
Firefighters removed the roof and door of this car to free the driver after a crash on U.S. 23 Tuesday morning.
Photo courtesy of Joseph Waliga
Michigan State Police closed U.S. 23 in both directions to allow a Survival Flight helicopter to land on the freeway in case it was needed. After the driver was freed, Huron Valley Ambulance paramedics took her to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township, and rescuers cancelled the call for the helicopter.
HVA took the driver of a second vehicle to the University of Michigan Hospital with minor injuries, firefighters said. Ann Arbor firefighters also assisted at the crash scene.
It’s not yet clear what caused the crash, firefighters said, but witnesses reported the Honda left the southbound lanes of US 23, crossed the median and slammed into the cement wall. Michigan State Police are investigating.
The crash caused a lengthy backup on the freeway.
View Crash 073112 in a larger map
Comments
Nancy
Wed, Aug 1, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.
I witnessed this accident. The car was traveling southbound on US 23, right next to a semi. The driver of the car hit the dirt drivers side of the the lane and then it looked like the driver over corrected and then shot across the median, clipped another car and smacked into the retaining wall. I called the police, but they said that there are cameras in the area so they have it all on tape. I couldn't tell if the semi was running the car off the road or not from my drive going northbound.
Alex Swary
Tue, Jul 31, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
I drove past this this morning at about 7:35 (must have been before they shut down the road for the helicopter). I was wondering what had happened because the one car was smashed against the cement barrier facing the wrong direction and the other car was a hundred yards or so in front of it facing the right direction. Hopefully everyone is okay, it certainly didn't look pretty.
Alaina
Tue, Jul 31, 2012 : 4:18 p.m.
I hope the crash victim is OK. My thoughts are with her and her family. Is it just my skewed perception, or is there a near-fatal crash on 23 or 94 nearly every day?
Sandra Samons
Wed, Aug 1, 2012 : 2:22 p.m.
Perhaps not every day, but it DOES seem like there are frequent accidents there, and I'm not surprised. The cloverleaf is poorly designed and cars often have to crisscross each other to get in the lanes they need to be in and trying to exit southbound 23 onto west bound 94 makes you feel like you are taking your life in your hands when the traffic is heavy. I would like to see that intersection rebuilt with a better design. Maybe civil engineering students could have a contest to see who could come up with the best solution.
Ghost of Tom Joad
Tue, Jul 31, 2012 : 5:03 p.m.
you're not mistaken. The stretch of interstate around A2 has a lot of them. If you're looking for more detailed information about the statistics for crashes in Michigan, check out MDOT's website http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123-1593_3504-17157--,00.html