Crash kills man, injures woman on I-94 in Ann Arbor
- Previous article: Crash shuts eastbound I-94 in Ann Arbor
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional information from police.
An Ypsilanti man died and a woman was injured in a rollover crash on Interstate 94 near Stone School Road in Ann Arbor early Thursday morning, officials said.
Jeffrey Jerome Robinson, 22 of Ypsilanti, died after being thrown out the rear window of the 2007 Ford Focus he was driving east on Interstate 94, said Sgt. Chris Pascoe of the Michigan State Police. Robinson lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over in the eastbound lanes just west of Platt Road about 2:30 a.m., Pascoe said. Robinson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Huron Valley Ambulance paramedics took his passenger, a 21-year-old Ypsilanti woman, to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township. She was in stable condition Thursday morning, Pascoe said.
State Police continue to investigate the crash. It’s not clear what caused Robinson to lose control of the car, Pascoe said.
Alcohol is suspected of contributing to the crash, state police said in a news release. Police also said "lack of seatbelt use" is suspected of contributing to the death of the driver.
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Comments
jns131
Fri, May 10, 2013 : 10:34 a.m.
But then again we hear seatbelt use was not a factor and still led to death. So what gives. Wear them and hope for the best? Tragic set of events here. He did not and died. The lady who died in the jeep on 275 was wearing hers. Good luck to all sides in this matter.
Chase Ingersoll
Fri, May 10, 2013 : 12:19 a.m.
Does it seem to anyone else feel like there are just a lot of accidents in general within a few miles of the 23 and 94 intersection, irrespective of the experience or conditions of drivers? Would anyone have stats on this, as compared to 23 and 14 or 14 and 275, 94 adn 275 ?
jcj
Fri, May 10, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
Chase I have been asking a2.com and Kyle in particular for over a year to give us some stats on the number of accidents on area freeways the last few years. But apparently it takes too sophisticated of a system to search the data base for this information.
jns131
Fri, May 10, 2013 : 10:35 a.m.
Speed, traffic congestion and probably construction can lead to a lot of it. But with all the new stuff going on in Ann Arbor? More cars? Does not surprise me in the least.
mslisa1968
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 11:09 p.m.
My heart and prayers go out to Jeff's family, I can only imagine the hurt, disbelief and pain they are going through. Jeff was one of my son's best friend he was just at my home last Friday because it was my son's 26th birthday. When my son called me this morning crying and hysterical my heart broke for him, Jeff has been his closest friend for the past 10yrs and he mentioned they were just talking last night. I pray the young lady makes a full and speady recovery. God please give the Robinson family the strength they need at this trying time and please watch over my son as he(they)need you now more than ever. AMEN!!!
justcurious
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 4:26 p.m.
I am sorry to hear of the death of this man and hope his passenger can recover fully from it. In the article it states "Police also said "lack of seatbelt use" was a contributing factor to the crash." This does not make sense to me. How could lack of seatbelt use contribute to the crash? More likely they meant that it contributed to the man's injuries.
jns131
Fri, May 10, 2013 : 10:40 a.m.
That is what makes this interesting. Do you? Or do you not use seatbelts? In one of mine? I was lucky not to be. I guess it is a matter of trusting the system.
justcurious
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 7:42 p.m.
Thanks Cindy for fixing that.
Stupid Hick
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 4:58 p.m.
I don't know what happened in this accident, but one of the reasons it's important for a driver to wear a seatbelt is so that he doesn't become incapacitated and unable to control the vehicle after the initial collision. Ever see the dashboard video of the cab driver who fell asleep at the wheel and hit a guard rail, which threw him into the back seat, where he was unable to control his car while it crashed into other things? Google "failure to buckle up tossed around the cab" A guy I met in college had a similar experience. He wasn't buckled up, got in an accident and hit his head on the steering wheel, and he was unable to prevent the subsequent crash that smashed his teeth up into his nose. It's not just a matter of personal safety for a driver to wear their seatbelt. Passengers and innocent bystanders are at risk if you can't control your vehicle after the initial impact!
Cindy Heflin
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 4:36 p.m.
Lack of seatbelt use is suspected of contributing to the death of the driver. That's been clarified in the article.
GoNavy
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 4:34 p.m.
According to the article, the man was ejected out of the rear window of the car.
WalkingJoe
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:39 p.m.
My condolences to those involved and hope the young woman recovers fully. As to the policy of annarbor.com, at times I too get confused but when I look at other new agencies online commenting I see vulgar name calling, racist comments, victim blaming and I could go on. So annarbor.com staff, thanks for trying keep it civil and if you remove this I'll know you saw it and I won't be upset.
Kyle Mattson
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
Please direct any further conversation regarding moderation to the guidelines thread or shoot me an e-mail if you have specific feedback or questions. Thanks.
Kyle Mattson
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 4:30 p.m.
Thanks for the feedback WJoe, often these stories speak for themselves and there is not much else that can be added in the comments that is beneficial to the situation. Despite this we do usually leave the comments open on these stories as there are times when it can open up a conversation to related circumstances which may be a connection to a larger issue similar to what we saw recently in the accidents that have occurred on Whittaker Road with residents expressing concern over the design of the road. KalamityJ- I'm emailing you with more information clarifying why your comment was removed.
kalamityjane
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:48 p.m.
I assume that we shouldn't name those other news agencies but I know exactly what you mean. I have taken to not reading articles from other certain sources because the comment section is so disgusting and takes away from the article.
lefty48197
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:15 p.m.
What a sad story. We don't spend enough time educating young drivers about the dangers of driving without seatbelts or of driving while drinking. MADD motivated judges arresting people after the fact isn't prevention.
daverieb
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:10 p.m.
I don't do a lot of commenting on these message boards so I'm a bit out of my element. If I reported what I heard re: this event and offered my condolences to the victims which conversational AA.com guideline am I violating? Thank you.
Kyle Mattson
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 7:20 p.m.
Hi Dave- Condolences are 100% fine, I'll shoot you an email w/ more information regarding why your comment was removed.
SWJB
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:32 p.m.
Not sure. But it's insensitive to put those details up there when family and friends of the loved one are reading it.
kalamityjane
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:02 p.m.
I was really hoping alcohol wasn't a factor in the crash, I'm sad to see that it was. I've read that drinking and driving has increased in recent years. I remember the MADD crusade and campaigns very strong in the 80's and 90's, I wonder if increasing such campaigns again will help? Just so sad, alcohol is legal but very dangerous. This is very sad.
kalamityjane
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 3:43 p.m.
I'm not sure why you're nitpicking my comment but its irrelevant. Its a suspected factor, which makes it a factor that its even being investigated. Like I said, I'm not condemning the young man if alcohol had anything to do with the crash. I hate to see accidents, especially fatal ones as a result of alcohol because so many people think alcohol is safe as well as its easily obtained. If this is your friend, relative or associate I'm very sorry for your loss but I've said nothing negative and I wish you'd quit berating me.
leezee
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 3:40 p.m.
Now, now you two -play nice.
SWJB
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 3:25 p.m.
"I was really hoping alcohol wasn't a factor in the crash, I'm sad to see that it was."
kalamityjane
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:46 p.m.
I can read SWJB and quite well. It said alcohol was suspected and I said I had really hoped it was not an issue in the accident. Don't miscontrue what I said. In no way have I condemned this young man, I feel very bad for his family and friends as well as the young lady as I stated above!
SWJB
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:30 p.m.
"Suspected." Not confirmed. Please read the article for what is written.
a2cents
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 1:48 p.m.
?: seatbelt?
Kyle Mattson
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
Not really sure where any bias can even come into the equation here Billy. As I noted earlier we ask readers to consider the sensitivity of these situations regardless of the surrounding circumstances.
Billy
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 6:59 p.m.
I see...so why didn't you restore my comment once you confirmed it? Bias maybe?
Kyle Mattson
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:12 p.m.
Hi Billy- We had not confirmed that fact at the time of your comment. Also, we ask readers to consider the sensitivity of these trafic situations. They serve as a strong reminder to us all of the risks of driving and importance of making safety a priority, and usually little needs to be said to further drive that point home.
Billy
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 2:01 p.m.
Wait...so my seatbelt comment doesn't get to stay but theirs does? Care to explain that one Kyle?
ThaKillaBee
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 1:56 p.m.
To the *crash*, or to the death of the driver?
Kyle Feldscher
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 1:49 p.m.
a2cents - Police said in a release that "lack of seatbelt use" is a contributing factor to the crash.
rkb0929
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 1:30 p.m.
So sad.
Jason Atwood
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 1:03 p.m.
Such a sad thing for this to happen at so young an age. So much life and potential left. My warmest thoughts go out to his family in this tragic time. I hope the girl recovers quickly.
Dirty Mouth
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 4:23 p.m.
Sad at any age!
kalamityjane
Thu, May 9, 2013 : 1:08 p.m.
I agree, he was so young, this is awful. My friend told me she heard this accident in the middle of the night. She said she heard a loud "boom" and screaming, her home is near this area of 94. I feel awful for the family and the young lady as well.