Crash closes Ellsworth Road in Pittsfield Township
This story was updated with new details about the accident on Friday at 12:04 p.m. There was also a correction made. SCP Enterprise is no longer in the building where the accident occurred. The business there now is Wolverine Office Interiors.
A traffic incident closed Ellsworth Road between Carpenter and Trade Center roads around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety issued an alert advising motorists to find an alternate route.
Update: Ellsworth Road was opened back up as of 8:36 p.m..
Pittsfield Township Fire Chief Sean Gleason said a female driving an SUV eastbound hit a utility pole in front of Wolverine Office Interiors in the 3400 block of Ellsworth at 6:22 p.m. The impact caused a 50,000-volt electrical line to become "unsecured" and dangle over the road, Gleason said.
"The driver, who is believed to have had a medical emergency prior to hitting the pole, was trapped in the car due to the damage," said a release from the Pittsfield Township Public Safety Department. "The vehicle was not in contact with any wires, but the pole was broken at the base and on fire."
The woman was freed from the vehicle by Pittsfield firefighters with the help of hydraulic rescue tools. She was transported to the University of Michigan Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Gleason.
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
greek1
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 4:10 a.m.
She almost collided with me head on while I was on the overpass... I am so happy she is going to be fine, however she could have killed my daughter and I. By the grace of GOD she jerked the steering wheel in the opposite direction right before she reached my vehicle... She went down a long stretch on Elsworth the wrong way before wrapping herself around that pole. At least 15 cars had to dodge her going the opposit direction.
Lola
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 3:27 a.m.
Why are people with medical conditions that could result in an accident driving? This isn't the first incident this year. I believe someone was killed in one of these and it wasn't the driver.
Rich
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 12:15 p.m.
A great question, but you are assuming it was a _pre-existing_ medical condition. With the history of poor word choice in many a2.com articles, it could be they meant to convey that she had a medical issue (such as a heart attack) that caused the accident and not careless/distracted driving.
Mike K
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 12:18 a.m.
I was outside at the time and heard the "boom" near all the way up toward Packard on this side of town. Lights did go out twice, and sirens screamed for a good 15 minutes. Not good. Thoughts and prayers to all.
jcj
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 12:16 a.m.
Julie maybe you could do some checking and come up with some data on the increase in serious traffic accidents in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County the last 5 years.
pvitaly
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 : 1:06 p.m.
is there an increase?
WalkingJoe
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 11:26 p.m.
We live near they and our lights flickered around that time. Wonder if someone hit a pole?
WalkingJoe
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 11:28 p.m.
Oops, that was supposed to read "near there".
lynel
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 10:56 p.m.
oops, not Friday yet.
lynel
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 11:04 p.m.
TGIF, tomorrow!
Julie Baker
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 10:58 p.m.
Wishful thinking, maybe. That's fixed. :)
Ann English
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 : 10:54 p.m.
Sounds like this incident took place on the Ellsworth Road bridge over US-23.