Three children, one teenager remain hospitalized after head-on crash that killed five on US-23
Updated story: Police release names of five killed in head-on crash on US-23
Three Okemos teenagers and two Ohio residents were among the five people killed in a head-on crash on US-23 north of Ann Arbor Sunday afternoon that also seriously injured four others, including three children, according to Green Oak Township police.
Township police said in a release that a northbound Toyota Prius with four teenagers in it crossed the median Sunday afternoon and hit a southbound Chevrolet Blazer carrying five people.
Those killed included the driver of the Prius; a 19-year-old Okemos woman and an 18-year-old Williamston woman who were passengers in that car. A 62-year-old Fremont, Ohio, woman who was driving the Blazer and a 56-year-old male passenger also were killed.
Three children in the SUV — ages 10, 5 and 3 — were seriously injured. An 18-year-old Okemos man also remains hospitalized in critical condition, police said.
Police told the Lansing State Journal the two people killed in the Blazer were not wearing seatbelts.
No further details were released this morning.
Comments
Julius
Sun, Oct 17, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.
Maybe if people only drove 10 mph in automated transit pods....
Erin
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 3:17 p.m.
RIP,, Heather, Matt, Sarina... Stay strong Humphrey!
Carfan
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 2:59 p.m.
@Christy - I hope the Escape does better for you - great car/SUV. I get on the highway (headed to Dearborn) at 6-mile to avoid being run over in the morning. A nice drive down Whitmore Lake Road though - if you are lucky enough to work in Ann Arbor. Sorry you had to witness the accident.
Christy
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 2:47 p.m.
"Glad you know how to use your gas pedal Christy, this seems to be a lost "art" - accelerate up to speed to merge safely... but not in a rustbucket;-)" @carfan: I just bought an Escape last year, but when I still had my 96 Audi, getting onto the freeway @Barker Road safely was next to impossible unless I tried it at 7:00am. I didn't have the pick-up necessary to get on fast enough to not get plowed. "it is difficult to stop in time and cars screech to a halt in the shoulder of the road to avoid a rear-end collision." @Jeff Richard: funny you say that, when I came around the corner and saw the traffic jam from this very accident, I had to stop pretty suddenly (I was going 70ish and getting fly bys by drivers going 80+) because the jam began over a hill, and the cars behind me nearly hit me because they were flying up behind me. The mornings are so treacherous that many times I take Jennings (a dirt road for Pete's sake) to Whitmore Lake Road to come in. Some days it's just not worth the stress.
mkm17
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 2:34 p.m.
@Cash, agree 100%! You won't hear any more complaints from me about construction or orange barrels.
Cash
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 1:53 p.m.
@mkm17, I guess we will all have to think about the horrible lost of yesterday when we start to complain about the construction next year. This is a necessity.
mkm17
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 1:22 p.m.
Cash, that's excellent news. I've been haunted by this accident since yesterday afternoon when I saw it.
Cash
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 1:15 p.m.
Too late for these poor souls, but respectfully for those who wondered about "catch cable" being installed I did find this information at the Detroit Free Press site Freep.com: "The Michigan Department of Transportation said today that U.S.-23 is scheduled to be resurfaced in 2011 -- a project that will include installation of cable median barriers meant to prevent traffic from crossing freeways divided by grassy medians. The state has been putting cable barriers up on freeways across the state where there are high numbers of crossover crashes or narrow grass medians. MDOT spokeswoman Kari Arend said the resurfacing and new cable barriers will be between M-36 and the north Livingston County line. The state has been putting cable barriers up along U.S.-23 in Monroe County. They've been installed on I-94 in metro Detroit and other freeways around Michigan."
Jay Allen
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
From the Allens to all of our many friends in the Okemos area, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Roadman
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 12:28 p.m.
It seems that this US-23 corridor has been rife with fatal accidents resulting from vehicles crossing the median. There should be a complaint to the applicable authorities that corrective action needs to be taken. I do not want to read about more tragedies such as these.
Jeff Richard
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 11:59 a.m.
A lower speed limit is necessary. Anyone commuting daily up 23 has encountered times when coming around bends in the road, traffic is at a complete stop. Even at the posted speeds, it is difficult to stop in time and cars screech to a halt in the shoulder of the road to avoid a rear-end collision. It's not difficult to see how these cross-over accidents are happening. If one is not expecting it or even looks away for a second, there would not be time to stop. MDOT - please reduce the speed limit to 45 for that small stretch leading up to the 96 ramps. A barrier alone would help, but not solve the cause and we will see terrible rear-end pile ups rather than cross-overs if just a barrier is installed. Condolences to the families. The teenagers involved were all excellent people with bright futures.
win
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.
Very sad. My prayers go out to the families.
Carfan
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.
I moved to WL 2 years ago and avoid that entrance ramp off of Barker road. Glad you know how to use your gas pedal Christy, this seems to be a lost "art" - accelerate up to speed to merge safely... but not in a rustbucket;-) So sorry for those that died in this crash...
mkm17
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 11:29 a.m.
I agree with all the comments about the Brighton-to-Ann-Arbor stretch of US-23. I would very much like to see the cable median barriers ("catch cables") on that stretch. I also agree with the general comments here and elsewhere about the relatively fast speeds on that stretch of freeway. I suppose it is "accepted" that many people drive 75 in a 70, but I think 85+ MPH is dangerous, especially on a stretch of road with curves, and with drivers jockeying for position near I-96. I am looking forward to hearing how this horrible accident happened. Maybe the vehicles had a "black box" that would give indications of speed, etc.
boom
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 11:24 a.m.
That one entrance ramp on U.S. 23 near Whitmore Lake has to be the shortest entrance ramp I've ever seen. Rates right up there with the entrance ramp on Barton where there is a stop sign. How often do you see a stop sign on an entrance ramp to a highway?
Christy
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 10:39 a.m.
Responding to @Becki: "Not only is there no barrier in the median, but the entrance ramps are extremely short. This makes it very difficult to merge into traffic safely." I think I might've moved to WL when you did;) But she's absolutely right. Merging onto southbound 23 at Whitmore Lake Rd., Barker, or exit 54 is just unbelievable and nearly always has me eating the tread on the right shoulder to avoid being smashed by a semi just to merge on. And I even know how to use my gas pedal. I have no idea how those with crappy rust buckets do it.
Michele
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 10:19 a.m.
MDOT please do something! I drive this stretch of road several times a week. Having witnessed a cross over accident earlier this year, I have been hoping for a barrier to be installed that would protect my family from a similar accident. How many have to die before something is done?!
keepitbalanced
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 10:12 a.m.
I moved to the Whitmore Lake area 1-1/2 years ago. Travelling through that stretch of US-23 is absolutely frightening. Not only is there no barrier in the median, but the entrance ramps are extremely short. This makes it very difficult to merge into traffic safely. I witnessed an accident 2 weeks ago for this very reason. Please, when safe, move to the left lane when ramp traffic is merging in this area. I agree with the posts - something must be done. How many people have to die?
Killroy
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 9:12 a.m.
Cable Barriers exist also along I-94 near Metro Airport and I have seem them in action. Great idea! Should really be standard when you have such narrow medians as along US-23.
Lakegirl
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 9:09 a.m.
When terrible traffic events like this happen, I think it would help save lives if investigation details are published when available. I am glad the scary road conditions on this stretch have been noticed by others- wish I could avoid this place but sometimes I can't. I too could not believe how fast every goes here. No police to enforce speed limits in sight either.
Cash
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 8:50 a.m.
What a nightmare. I am so sorry for all involved. From DOT Illinois: "Cable median barriers, which are high-tension steel cables strung together, are designed to catch out-of-control vehicles, and they more forgiving in terms of the impact of a crash than traditional concrete jersey barriers, he said. The cable systems also do a better job of keeping fast-moving vehicles on the proper side of the roadway, while vehicles can flip over concrete barriers or be deflected violently away from them." Catch cable has been installed on US23 toward the south end near Ohio over this summer. I would think maybe this is just the beginning? And it is installed on I-75 through Ohio. Here is a document on Michigan's plan for cable barrier: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_GuardrailSystemBrochure_300385_7.pdf
pde@a2
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 8:33 a.m.
My heart goes out to all the family members who suffered such a tragic loss. I travel this highway daily from Brighton to Ann Arbor and I've said for along time this highway needs to be widened due to the volume of vehicles and I believe a barrier should be installed to protect travelers on both sides of the highway. As for the speeding implication, (??)I don't know what time of the day or what days you're driving but, no one can speed during the hours of 7:15am-8:am and 4:30pm-6:00pm Monday thru Friday because traffic is too heavy to allow even the speed limit to be adhered to.
jeanarrett
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 8:11 a.m.
This is at least the third fatal median crossover accident this year on that stretch of roadway between Whitmore Lake and Brighton. There definitely needs to be a barrier of some type between the north and southbound lanes. This was a horrific accident that still has me shaken up today and I had a talk yesterday with all of the teen drivers in my household. I wish the peace to the families of all involved.
DFSmith
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 7:50 a.m.
My sincere condolences to the families of the people killed and hurt. I agree with Chuck- the MI DOT needs to put up some kind of a barrier- even the cable type of a barrier would probably have prevented this accident yesterday. Of course, a concrete barrier would be better still.
5c0++ H4d13y
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 7:47 a.m.
How many people have to get killed in these cross over accidents on 23 because somebody does something?
Chuck
Mon, Oct 11, 2010 : 7:38 a.m.
There is a real need for the cement barrier on US 23; especially on that stretch of road. It is a very dangerous area, and this barrier could possibly have prevented this horrible accident. My sincere condolences to the families.