1 dead in rollover crash on Interstate 94; freeway closed
One woman died Thursday afternoon after a rollover crash on westbound Interstate 94 west of Rawsonville Road.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
- Friday update: Police release name of Southgate woman killed in I-94 crash
Update: All lanes on the highway were re-opened at 4:45 p.m., according to a Nixle alert from the sheriff's office.
One woman is dead after a rollover crash on Interstate 94 west of Rawsonville Road in Ypsilanti Township Thursday afternoon, a Huron Valley Ambulance official said.
Spokeswoman Joyce Williams said the woman was westbound on I-94 west of Rawsonville Road when her vehicle rolled over. The cause of the rollover is unknown at this time.
Emergency crews were sent to the scene at 1:34 p.m. Thursday, Williams said.
The woman was the only person in the vehicle and she was wearing her seatbelt, Williams said.
An alert on Nixle from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office reported both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 94 were closed at Rawsonville Road.
View Fatal crash in a larger map
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Kyle Mattson
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 8:14 p.m.
We've closed comments at this time until we get more information from State Police. As a reminder, in any serious crime, accident, etc we do not allow speculation regarding the surrounding events.
yaah
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
Not to sound callous here but if this accident happened at 1:30 and the car is in the median grass, why is the road still closed 2+ hours later?
Kyle Mattson
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 8:13 p.m.
Hi yaah, in serious accidents, particularly fatals, police do a thorough investigation of the scene which can often take time and require multiple lane closure. Although it may be an inconvenience for those on the road I totally think it is understandable for them to block off the scene in respect of the lives victim(s) involved.
Paul
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:39 p.m.
These newer cars were to be so safe "they" claim...that is until you really crash them, then those full size cars from the 70's protected you better in a crash...the death rates have went way down from the 70's due to seat belt use and lower drunk driving limits, beside many other things like safer roads with more left turn signals. Today cars are safer to drive to avoid crashing but if you lose control at speed, you have little chance of even making it to the hospital alive. IMO
YpsiGreen
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:13 p.m.
Was driving past probably less than a minute after it happened. The car was already stopped. At least a dozen people were stopping to help and were approaching the vehicle. There were no emergency responders there yet. I saw no indication of another vehicle involved. Nor did I see any skid marks, etc. Frightening to think it all happens in an instant. Peace to the woman's family.
Hmm
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:47 p.m.
Were the roads wet at that time?
YpsiGreen
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:14 p.m.
It was right before the big right hand curve and the median wall there.
lugemachine
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:13 p.m.
I've seen this said before, and I have to agree: While not poor journalism, it is in poor taste to post a picture of the vehicle involved before law enforcement confirms that next of kin have been notified.
Kyle Mattson
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:46 p.m.
Hi All- Just to add a little more background to Cindy's response, we completely understand your concern. We too are saddened by tragic events like this and try to approach them with sensitivity by carefully considering the content of photos we run with stories involving deaths. Other media outlets often show immediate more detailed footage of accident scenes, but we have made an effort to simply give perspective of the incident in the photos used here on AAcom. With that said, thanks everyone for your feedback. If you have any other specific thoughts on this topic please shoot Cindy or I an email so we can save it on file. Thanks!
lisam
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:41 p.m.
I agree as well, and I disagree with Cindy Heflin's comment.
daytona084
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:34 p.m.
Clarification - I agree with lugemachine - the photo should not be published yet.
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:33 p.m.
those rust details and whatever is in the rear window may be rather telling for some poor soul who lost a loved one Prayers to family and friends for their loss.
daytona084
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:29 p.m.
If that were one of my daughers' car I could absolutely identify it. Not only can you tell the make, model and color, there are also a couple of rust spots that make it unique.
daytona084
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.
Agree with that.
Cindy Heflin
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
We understand your concern, lugemachine. However, we don't believe this photo provides details that would identify the car as that of a particular individual.