Ann Arbor woman seriously injured when struck by driver believed to be drunk
A 24-year-old Ann Arbor woman is being treated at the University of Michigan Hospital for serious injuries after she was hit by a vehicle police said was driven by a man believed to be intoxicated.
The woman was walking west along Hill Street at 3 a.m. Sunday and crossed Packard Street when she was struck by a red Chevrolet, Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said. The car was traveling southeast on Packard, Bush said.
Witnesses reported the accident to police, and a 28-year-old Ann Arbor man was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated, Bush said. The man’s name has not been released because he has not been arraigned, Bush said.
The woman is still being treated at the hospital and the accident is still under investigation, Bush said. The full extent of the woman’s injuries could not be released Monday morning.
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
Chris Weiss
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 7:17 p.m.
I am the victim's father. Sarah was walking home from work when she was hit. She was almost across the street. The driver was speeding and drunk. I will be testifying at his sentencing hearing. Sarah will recover but she have a long and very painful summer.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Wed, May 2, 2012 : 1:13 p.m.
Mr. Weiss, I am so sorry that she was struck and injured. I hope that she recovers fully from all her injuries. My son also walks/bikes home on Packard Street from his late night job, and he came upon this accident scene on his way home. It really shook him up.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 4:06 p.m.
AnnArbor.com & Kyle Feldscher - Is there an update on this story? Has the woman's condition changed? Has the alleged drunk driver been arraigned?
Kyle Feldscher
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 4:26 p.m.
There's nothing to update with at the moment. I have not come across any charges for an OWI in court records, but those might come later on today as arraignments typically take place in the afternoon. I'm not totally sure of the status of the investigation at this point - it was still open yesterday. As far as the woman's condition, I've put in a call to Lt. Bush to see if there is anything new to release. It is sometimes difficult to get medical information due to HIPAA laws, but I'll do my best to get some more info today.
Silly Sally
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 2:20 p.m.
Whenever I'm a pedestrian, I ALWAYS watch every car that has the potential to harm me. I'm amazed at those in Ann Arbor who do not. I've so often been struck by cars exiting parking structures as I walk along the sidewalk. I do not want to be in the right, but also in the hospital.
Silly Sally
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 2:21 p.m.
almost struck
nickcarraweigh
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 8:58 p.m.
Whenever I find myself on a 3 a.m. stroll I try to remember almost nobody outside feels any more alert than me.
Roy Munson
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 8:07 p.m.
And great job with that intersection putting a left turn lane in when there is not room for one of those AND a bike lane. Just make the through lane for cars magically turn into a left turn lane and then force cars to merge into the bike path. Brilliant thinking there.
Peregrine
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 8:21 p.m.
My sense is that that configuration is temporary and is a result rerouting traffic around the Stadium Bridge construction. People heading up Packard who would have turned left on Stadium can now turn left on Hill.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 5:34 p.m.
Remember too there was another pedestrian hit a few weeks ago, again late at night, further along Packard (near East University) by an intoxicated driver. Walkers, bike riders, drivers - take all relevant precautions and be extra attentive late at night. Not all people on the roads/sidewalks at late hours have been partying - many are going home after working at these businesses. Wishing the injured woman full and speedy recovery.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 4:10 p.m.
Does the light blink at 3AM or is it full green/yellow/red mode?
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 4:23 p.m.
;)
TinyArtist
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 4:20 p.m.
"maybe...maybe not."
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 4:12 p.m.
I must add I hope for a full recovery for the woman who was hit.
smokeblwr
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 3:34 p.m.
Congressman Jon Runyan fell asleep at the wheel of his car at this same intersection in 1994. Check the police archives....it is a bad intersection for drunk driving.
Tru2Blu76
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.
Sincere best wishes to the victim. But beyond that: (and without blaming or excusing anyone) I wonder if the new time-delay signal light at Packard & Hill which keeps "SE bound" drivers waiting while giving a green light to left-turning-onto-Hill drivers time to execute the left turn had anything to do with the "suspected to be intoxicated" driver's confusion. I've observed several unimpaired drivers (in daylight hours) start to proceed on Packard because they see on-coming cars coming through the "invisible" green light. Such visual cues are supposed to be the responsibility of drivers, but that particular setup IS confusing even to sober drivers. The same goes for pedestrians intending to cross Hill on Packard: the crosswalk light also "waits" until the green-for-left-turn light turns red. People are still adjusting to this and some just start across (walking in the direction of Main St.) either in frustration or because they're just not paying close attention. There was no warning in the form of new signage to alert drivers or pedestrians to this (rather unusual and probably temporary) change in the traffic signals at Hill and Packard.
M.
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 4:31 p.m.
While it's totally possible that this could confuse someone, the vast majority of pedestrians are familiar with walk signs that wait until a turn-lane's light is red. This prevents cars from turning onto the road the pedestrian is crossing (and running them over). This is a good thing, since my nearest crosswalk doesn't have this and I've almost been run over numerous times by cars turning onto the road I'm crossing. As a pedestrian, I'm extremely cautious of crosswalks and I make sure there are no cars behind me about to turn into me before I cross even when my walk light is "green" (white).
Ron Granger
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 6:14 p.m.
"There was no warning in the form of new signage to alert drivers or pedestrians to this (rather unusual and probably temporary) change in the traffic signals at Hill and Packard." Oh, why yes. Of course. We just need a sign. How about "Drivers - OBEY red light when it is red" Because red lights are very confusing. I'm sure that will solve everything.