Eastbound M-14 in Plymouth Township closed due to fatal crash
Ann Arbor commuters may want to avoid eastbound M-14 in Plymouth Township during this evening's rush hour.
A fatal crash has closed the eastbound lanes between Beck and Sheldon roads.
ClickOnDetroit.com reports the freeway will remain closed until at least 5 p.m. while police conduct an accident investigation. Suggested alternate routes include Six Mile Road or Ann Arbor Road.
Police said a woman, who was not wearing her seat belt, was ejected from her vehicle during the single-car crash, according to ClickOnDetroit.com.
Update: According to ClickOnDetroit.com, the crash killed a 19-year-old woman who was traveling east on M-14 when she lost control of her vehicle and struck a guardrail on the right side.
She was ejected from her vehicle and was then run over by a tractor-trailer. Her identity has not been released.
Comments
talker
Sat, Feb 6, 2010 : 3:53 p.m.
It "sounds like" a horrific accident. There's some incredibly fast traffic there at times. To be driving over 75 and not have to pass to maintain that speed and to have other vehicles staying way too close for speeds up to 85 is an accident waiting to happen. Will drivers now stay under 80 and keep their distances there now? No. Both the people who blame drivers going too fast and too slow have points. Speed and close distances kill. Of course not wearing a seat belt kills, even at much lower speeds. But going 60 in the right lane is also wrong, unless it's just to pass a vehicle going 50 or 55 and the passing driver gets back into the right lane after passing. Left lanes are meant for drivers who are going faster than drivers in the right lane. If a driver going 60 could go 60 in the right lane and only need to pass occasionally, then that person is supposed to drive in the right lane. I believe the Michigan State Police would agree with that statement. I haven't checked rules of the road lately, but I believe it is a recommendation and possibly even a law. When people driving 60 mph when the speed limit is 70 mph drive continuously in the left lane and vehicles driving 70 line up behind them and the faster drivers need to pass on the right (which is not recommended (and possibly illegal?), it's the slow driver in the left lane who is at fault. Good driving is more than about driving under the speed limit in any lane you want. At fast speeds,good driving is having control at the speed you're driving, keeping distances that allow you to stop if traffic ahead does, being alert, avoiding distractions (pull over or exit the highway if you must make a phone call or text and pull over or exit the highway in order to return an incoming call you shouldn't answer while driving). For those people who need to drive 60 in a 70 mph zone in order to have good control, you are right to do so. Just drive in the right lane.
DJ
Thu, Feb 4, 2010 : 3:49 a.m.
I drive home from Ann Arbor on M14 eastbound in rush hour twice a week. Here is a scenario: I am driving in the slow lane, at 70 mph. A driver is tailgating; could pass but does not. At Sheldon Road, a driver entering the freeway decides to pass me on the right. I can't slow down for him because of the guy on my ass, and I can't move to the left. There are curves in the road in the area of Sheldon Rd, and the car on my left wanders into my lane. I am now trying to watch out for three other specific drivers. Most of the drivers are speeding, and changing lanes without signaling is common. I am a very experienced driver, but sometimes I choose to add 20 minutes to my drive time and take Plymouth Road instead. This experience is too much for an young or novice driver. In addition to all the careless and aggressive drivers, on the day of this accident there were reports of ice on M14 and other local freeways. Even a distraction of one second could cause such an accident. There is a lesson here that most drivers in SE Michigan will not get. This is a terrible tradgedy.
coachfortner
Wed, Feb 3, 2010 : 7:45 p.m.
Callous?! I drove past this tragedy just a few minutes after it occurred. I wasn't sure what had happened at first. A MSP cruiser had pulled up on the scene right across a stranded shoe looking oddly lonely as it lay in the inside lane. An entire wheel that had been ripped from its suspension (which was also just a meter away) rested coldly on the exit ramp to Sheldon Road. I only noticed the victim after passing an ambulance that partially obscured the cold white sheet of her body. Seeing the other shoe-ed foot of that poor 19 year old woman poking out from that shroud made me realize that this was a fatal incident. For the family's sake, I'll with hold the rest. I point out these details because (a) life is precarious and (b) to appreciate everyone you love around you. So please, let this burn in real good. And tell someone you love that you do love them.
scooter dog
Wed, Feb 3, 2010 : 4:45 p.m.
Law says I/we/anybody can drive in any lane we choose between 45 and 70mph,so all you anti old people who don't like us seniors can suck it up and suffer or pass. There are no set passing lanes on the e-way.
EngineeringMom
Wed, Feb 3, 2010 : 12:37 p.m.
I believe the details associated with the means of death are callous. Stating the drive was not wearing a safety belt and was ejected from the vehicle is quite sufficent!!
brinton
Wed, Feb 3, 2010 : 8:39 a.m.
I commute on this stretch of road every day. The state police occasionally have an Eastbound speed trap at Beck, with the police car up on the hill between the entrance ramp and Beck. Impossible to see if you are driving along M-14.
stonecutter1
Tue, Feb 2, 2010 : 11:28 p.m.
The real problem is you slow old people that drive 60 in the left hand lane. Move over and let traffic flow! Time and time again research shows that traffic moving slower than expected is the real cause of accidents! If you can't keep up, take the side streets!
BrianR
Tue, Feb 2, 2010 : 9:13 p.m.
I drive this stretch of freeway twice a day on my daily commute. I have seen speedtraps set up near Beck. Not often to be sure, but I have seen them.
scooter dog
Tue, Feb 2, 2010 : 6:47 p.m.
Speed Kills.On that section of road its 80 mph plus.I travel it daily.If you drive 70 they pass like your standing still or ride on your bumper