Posted on Thu, Oct 18, 2012 : 5:19 p.m.
State police patrol car involved in minor accident on I-94
By John Counts
A Michigan State Police patrol car was involved in a minor car accident on eastbound Interstate 94 around 5 p.m. Thursday, police confirmed.
The accident occurred on the freeway west of South State Street and was tying up traffic, according to a dispatcher. There were no injuries.
Ann Arbor police said it was a minor accident between a state police patrol car and a civilian vehicle.
State police could not be reached. No other information was immediately available.
View State police crash in a larger map
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
jj45678
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
Frustrated in A2
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 4:53 p.m.
I'm sure this will get several thumbs down but don't think I'm defending the Trooper I'm just stating a fact. Even if the Trooper was looking at their cell phone there are several things one can legally do on a cell phone that aren't texting, don't jump to the conclusion that s/he was texting. This goes for anybody officers and civilians, cell phones are a distraction as a whole and unfortunately sometimes people get hurt when we use them while driving so we all need to be careful.
John Counts
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 1:21 p.m.
Thanks everyone. This report is based on information available at the time. You can be sure we will follow up on this accident.
Pam
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 12:51 p.m.
Oh my gosh! Previous posts are correct - this was NO minor accident! I passed by the accident moments after it happened yesterday. I have been so sick with worry over the poor kid in the crushed red car that I had to research the accident today to see if he was OK. Thank God the kid is OK. But his car was totally demolished. If the Trooper was indeed texting then he should be held accountable! The public needs to know the truth as well. I have seen Police officers texting, talking on their cells, eating food .. all the things they give civilians tickets for. Here is an opportunity to bring to light that EVERYONE needs to focus on driving and respecting the lives of others around them while driving.
Ross
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 12:16 p.m.
Yep, I saw it also. Absolutely NOT MINOR, he crushed that car into the median wall and pinned the driver in the crushed vehicle. The trooper needs to be reprimanded in some manner. Else a serious lawsuit could end up costing the taxpayer quite a bit. Suggest that the title of the article be changed to remove the spin of the MSP.
OLDTIMER3
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 12:26 p.m.
They are probably exempt from the law. But good thing no one was seriously injured.
Paul Rohan
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 11:11 a.m.
That was not minor, the car he hit was smashed in so bad that there was no trunk or back seat left, it was pushed all the way to the back of the front seat. The person in that car is lucky to be alive. That State Trooper could have killed someone. Everyone knows how bad the traffic is there during the afternoon hours, especially a State Trooper. He needs to be cited for failure to stop and yield, anyone else would get that ticket. If he was texting at the time, then someone needs to send a letter to the barracks and let them know this. The texting law while driving applies to all, including police officers, it is unacceptable to do so. Luckily, someone wasn't killed in this accident.
Ann English
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 11:28 p.m.
I think you mean by "how bad the traffic is there during the afternoon hours" that the eastbound lanes are FULL, yet more motorists get on from northbound State Street. It's been like that for decades at afternoon rush hour. You leave nothing to the imagination; if no trunk or back seat were left, I would have expected spontaneous combustion of the gasoline in the tank, BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. This story demonstrates the efficiency of safety belts. It's been years since the Ann Arbor News stopped telling us if some driver and/or passengers were wearing seat belts during an accident.
brian
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 4:26 a.m.
Where did my comment go? I just want to know if the Trooper is going to be cited. That to much to ask?
Don Prior
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 1:43 a.m.
There was nothing minor about it. The State Trooper plowed into the guy at full speed and crushed his car like an accordion. It happened right in front of me. My friend who was driving said he was texting while driving, so that's why he didn't see that traffic was stopping.
brian
Fri, Oct 19, 2012 : 3:33 a.m.
I just want to know if the Trooper was cited because we would have been cited.