West Bloomfield woman killed, Detroit man injured in I-94 crash
A 45-year-old West Bloomfield woman is dead and a 45-year-old Detroit man injured Friday after a one-car rollover crash that closed westbound Interstate 94 for hours.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Mark Thompson released a statement Friday afternoon regarding the crash. Police were dispatched at 10:05 a.m. Friday to westbound I-94 near Ellsworth Road in Pittsfield Township after the crash was reported.
According to police, the woman was westbound on I-94 in the right lane when she braked suddenly and swerved right in order to avoid a rear-end collision. In the process, the woman lost control of her 1997 Jeep Cherokee and went off the roadway to the right shoulder.
The vehicle then flipped multiple times and came to rest in the middle of westbound I-94, according to police.
Huron Valley Ambulance responded to the scene and transported the driver and the passenger to University of Michigan Hospital.
The woman died from her injuries at the hospital, police said. The man continues to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are withholding the names of the woman and the man until their families have been notified of the crash.
The Pittsfield Township Fire Department and Pittsfield Township Police Department responded to the scene, as did the Washtenaw County Road Commission.
The crash resulted in westbound I-94 being closed for nearly two hours Friday, causing long backups. The freeway reopened about 12:30 p.m. Friday.
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
tcass
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 10:31 p.m.
Please realize that a woman- my dear friend- and someone's dear family member was killed. Please be conscious of your comments. It sucks, she was in an ACCIDENT, and she didn't make it through. Clearly, there is something wrong with this stretch of the interstate and I hope that one day it is evaluated to make it safer. Thank you whale11 for your comment, it was conscious, thoughtful, and compassionate.
Paul
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 1:24 a.m.
I just can't figure out why freeway driving is so difficult for some--we need those self driving cars now
Are you serious?
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:53 p.m.
The best way to avoid these kind of things is to slow down and leave room for stopping or maneuvering.
Paul
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 1:26 a.m.
No its not, then you are "in the way" and other drivers need to go around you. Maybe it was one of those "safe" slow drivers she rear ended ? There is side streets if you want to putt on down the roads
djacks24
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 5:33 p.m.
Exactly how I drive and yet I still get people tailgating me in the right lane and cutting in front of me constantly.
Jazz_Fan
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:46 p.m.
With the amount of traffic I-94 & US-23 through Ann Arbor and US-23 from Ann Arbor to Brighton should be 3 lanes in each direction. Also, several of the short shoot ramps like Jackson Road (E & W bound on to I-94), Barton Dr on to M-14E, and US-23N onto I-94W should all be replaced.
Paul
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 1:27 a.m.
Yep we need wider roads but as GWB would say, who is going to pay for it ?
JW
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.
What we need on I-94 and 23 a mile ahead of this intersection are flashing signs linked up to road sensors and a computer that can warn in big letters of a serious slowdown ahead.
Tim VanDongen
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:37 p.m.
I'm usually not one for regulating stuff, but I think the speed limit needs to be 55, and lights installed for night time driving. Under dry conditions with the slight curves and hills, you sometimes can not see whats in front of you at night.
Paul
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 1:30 a.m.
Oh man, we been through that...in a way it was nice cause everybody sped of the freeways and it spilled on off on to the side roads, were driving 5--10 over was common. 55 mph caused so many traffic jams, today the freeways can handle more cars since the cars move quickly down the roads. People need to wake up and drive or let somebody else do the driving.
Cash
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 12:39 p.m.
The strip on I-94 from Mich Ave to Jackson Rd is often stop and go. While we should all be alert and aware, we aren't always doing that. Those of us who drive that stretch are aware it is a poorly engineered and heavily traveled. People lose patience and the lane-jump creating even more problems. We've all seen it. I don't see why areas such as this don't have signage simply stating "TRAFFIC CAN GO FROM FAST TO SLOW TO STOP - PAY ATTENTION!" I mean really, IMO that stretch of 94 is dangerous. Why not warn those who aren't familiar with it??
Ann English
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 11:54 p.m.
GoNavy, You call to mind SHORT acceleration lanes on freeway entrance ramps; it's a wonder there haven't been more accidents like this one, on US-23 just north of North Territorial Road. I wonder how fast the West Bloomfield woman was driving. Was she going 80 mph, catching up with someone going only 60 mph? Someone going 60 mph shouldn't be in the left lane. Hope that the pavement on I-94 in that area is being smoothed like it is in the eastbound lanes; in one place on eastbound I-94, I was using the left lane for a short distance in one area in order to avoid the rough pavement in the right lane under a bridge. But now it's fixed.
PairOhLegal
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:52 a.m.
There are so many reasons someone might swerve to avoid a collision. A truly unfortunate outcome, in this case. Condolences to the families who suffered the loss of a loved one.
slave2work
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 11:18 p.m.
That whole area from 1 mile before the "exit only" lane that isn't marked as such earlier enough, all the way to briarwood (state street), is a nightmare. I'm actually surprised there isn't more accidents.
samshoe
Mon, Jul 29, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.
I have opted for a longer commute to work, just to avoid driving this stretch of road.
63Townie
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:38 p.m.
Oh my, what is going on around Ann Arbor on the freeways? Two fatals in one week? My condolences to all the families.
tcass
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 10:33 p.m.
Thank you for your compassion! The woman was a dear friend of mine and I'm still trying to wrap my head around this tragedy.
evenyoubrutus
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 11:36 p.m.
This feels like it has been a weekly event all summer.
whale11
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:17 p.m.
One of the most dangerous aspects of freeway driving is when cars use an on-ramp to enter. Many times those cars are not aware that cars on the freeway have the right-of-way. Entering cars just enter heedlessly, without adjusting speed to merge with on-going traffic. Perhaps that is what caused the driver on I-94 to brake and roll over. Really sad.
Paul
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 1:34 a.m.
People buy SUV's and then try driving them like its a sports car. There was good reasons back in the old days, car and station wagons were the norm. Too bad cars with V8 engines are so rare now
Richard
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 7:22 p.m.
One of the most dangerous aspects of freeway driving is when cars on the freeway are bumper to bumper and leave no room for cars entering the freeway to merge. Takes cooperation, not demanding rights.
GoNavy
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:38 p.m.
@djacks24- There is no Ellsworth onramp, but right before Ellsworth is the US-23/I-94 interchange. Fortunately, those entering westbound 94 from 23 have plenty of space to accelerate to freeway speeds.
GoNavy
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.
I'm not certain the article mentioned entering vehicles at all. There could be dozens of reasons why the woman saw the need to brake to avoid a collision. What I find tragic is the great extent to which people will take action to avoid damaging a car - even when the front of the car is the safest in terms of collision, and that nearly everybody has insurance that's meant to cover incidents like this. I've read of incidents where individuals have left the road just to avoid a collision and, in the process, have struck pedestrians on the sidewalk. It's like the Titanic: The ship would have stayed afloat had it simply rammed the iceberg head on. It was the choices of the crew which turned a manageable situation into a human tragedy.
djacks24
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:34 p.m.
Good theory and good explanation of right of way, but there is no ramps at I-94 and Ellsworth.