Driver involved in Pittsfield Township accident told police he had been drinking
One of two drivers injured in a collision this morning in Pittsfield Township admitted to investigators that he had been drinking prior to the accident, township police said.
So far, no charges have been filed in the 7 a.m. collision on Carpenter Road that left two men with non-life-threatening injuries, police Lt. Sean McCormick said.
Investigators said a 1998 Ford Windstar was traveling south in the 4800 block of Carpenter Road and attempted to make a left turn into a private drive and cross the northbound lane. A 2002 Chrysler Sebring struck the rear passenger side of the minivan, police said.
The driver of the Sebring, a 20-year-old Ann Arbor man, was extricated from the car's passenger side. Police said he was not wearing a seat belt. He was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he consented to a blood draw to determine his blood-alcohol level, McCormick said. Results are not yet available.
The driver of the van, a 51-year-old Pittsfield Township man, was taken by ambulance to University of Michigan Hospital. McCormick said he did not know whether the man was wearing a seat belt.
After interviewing a witness to the crash, police said it's unclear whether the driver of the Sebring could have done anything to avoid the collision. Speed is not believed to be a factor, McCormick said.
Police continue to investigate. Anyone with information can call Sgt. Patrick Gray at (734) 822-6051.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
justthefacts
Fri, Sep 30, 2011 : 6:02 p.m.
Everyone, first of all let's be reminded that the accident occured on Tuesday Morning at 7am (School buses on the road and other commuters for those of you who don't get my drift). Southbound driver was turning left to go to WORK. (a business off of carpenter). In the State of Michigan, ANYONE turning left (even if you have the right of way) is considered at fault for any accidents created. So he recieved his ticket. The other driver admitted to not only the officer, but the medics that he was drinking prior to the accident....why was he drinking on Tuesday morning? AND that he is 20 years old....State law, you must be 21 to drink legally. So, in defense of the driver who was trying to get to work, the 20 year old shouldn't have been drinking in the first place, then trying to get where he was going intoxicated and not wearing his seatbelt (stated in the first article). I have yet to find out if he has received any tickets. In the end, the southbound driver got in the way of a minor driving drunk who wasn't wearing his seatbelt and got a ticket. Personally, I'm glad that they are both alive and hope that the other driver receives his tickets for his part in breaking the law.
Ann English
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
I figure the Sebring driver agreed to be tested for a blood-alcohol level above .07% because he knew he could pass the test. The minivan driver had been drinking. I know, usually the vehicle that hits another is driven by an intoxicated driver, not a sober one.
snapshot
Thu, Sep 29, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.
discounting all the accidents involving non drinking drivers?
vivian
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 6:42 p.m.
Given all the confusion, maybe we should conclude that it was the REPORTER who'd been drinking.
unclemercy
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.
this article is incoherent.
Gordon
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
A lesson in the confusion of facts in a police report. Further details will be avaiable. Writing facts and then making them fit s yet to be completed by the police.
Marilyn Wilkie
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 11:47 p.m.
Am I missing something here? Which driver admitted to drinking?
cinnabar7071
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 11:26 p.m.
It just might be the case that the sober driver was at fault, putting the drunk driver at risk.
Matt Cooper
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 11:46 p.m.
LOL Regardless, the drunk driver, once proven to be drunk driving, will get a ticket no matter who initiated the accident. And he'll get sued, licence suspended, sobriety court, etc.
Basic Bob
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 10:58 p.m.
I'm trying to understand from the story.... Southbound vehicle turns left into oncoming traffic and is hit by northbound car. Northbound car was not speeding and had the right of way. (There are no traffic controls on this section of the road) Northbound driver is being tested for alcohol after being trapped inside his car from the force of the accident that was not his fault.
Matt Cooper
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:16 p.m.
PS. Sorry if my first comment sounded snarky or rude. Didn't mean to.
Matt Cooper
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:15 p.m.
Not really, Bob. He could have been drunkenly switching lanes without bothering to check the traffic on his right and/or left sides. Or he could have been changing lanes and the Windstar was in his blind spot with the collision as the end result. If he was in fact drunk this would make perfect sense. Secondly, for the Sebring to be northboud and hit the southbound Windstar on the passenger side, he would have had to completly leave the northbound side of the road (driving to his left), cross the two-way median, drive into the southbound lanes and then attempt to cross back across the median (now driving back to his right) and back into the northbound lanes. Which seems to you to be the most likely scenario? Either way, if (the driver of the Sebring) he was drunk behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, he was at fault because he shouldn't have been on the road at all in the first place.
Basic Bob
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 11:21 a.m.
@Matt Cooper, You're right, the article does not say explicitly which direction the Sebring was traveling. This is a five-lane road, so the van would begin the turn from the center lane outside the normal flow of traffic. Then he would cross the northbound lanes as indicated in the story. At that moment, it would be unlikely that the other car hit the passenger side of a minivan making a left turn, unless it was approaching from the opposite direction.
Matt Cooper
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:54 a.m.
I'm wondering where in the article it says the Sebring was traveling in a northboud direction. Sounds like the Windstar went to make a left turn and the Sebring hit him from behind. It's really not that hard to figure out, is it?
Chuck Early
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 10:41 p.m.
Gee, I wonder what they are considering to be a factor.. stellar article..