Police confirm fatal crash at Liberty and Zeeb roads
The crash occurred about 2:10 p.m., according to Sgt. Geoff Fox of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
Editor's note: This article was updated at 5:30 p.m. with information from Scio Township Fire.
Police have confirmed there was a fatality in a traffic accident on South Zeeb road just north of the West Liberty intersection in Scio Township Wednesday afternoon.
One woman was killed in the accident, which a witness described as a head-on collision between the woman's sedan and a semi-truck, said Joyce Williams with Huron Valley Ambulance.
According to Scio Township Fire Chief Carl Ferch, the vehicle was traveling southbound on Zeeb Road when it crossed the lane and collided with a gravel hauler traveling northbound. The car traveling southbound is a dealer-owned vehicle.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Williams said. There were no other injuries reported.
The crash occurred about 2:10 p.m., according to Sgt. Geoff Fox of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.
Traffic units from the sheriff's were en route to investigate the scene at 2:30 p.m. Fox said the intersection would be closed for the next few hours.
At 3:46 p.m., the intersection remained closed as police investigated the scene. The Scio Township Fire Department was also dispatched to the accident, Williams said.
An alert sent out before 6 p.m. said the intersection has been reopened.
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
HONDO
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
Think now people will actually stop at that intersection, now they have first hand knowledge of what could happen? Highly doubt it, losing faith in societies commen sense for following simple rules/laws. Saw a mom in her car texting while driving, radio blaring, and a poor impressional child sitting in the back seat absorbing all that mommy is doing while driving so when its his turn he can replicate. Maybe if parents/ adults go back to leading by(good) examples there is still hope for society, here again doubt it....
BhavanaJagat
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 5:54 p.m.
Fatal Crash: It is unfortunate to read about these accidents on almost a daily basis. It is unfortunate because of the lack of any external circumstance that has a significant role in the causation of these accidents. The weather and road conditions are reasonably good and the vehicles involved have not revealed mechanical malfunctions like the loss of brake or steering power. When there is loss of life, it affects people in a very personal way. However, we have to look at these incidents in an objective manner and find if there is any chance to prevent such accidents without embracing a fatalistic view about life's events.
Dirty Mouth
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 4:24 p.m.
From the photo (of the Semi) it doesn't appear that it was a head on collision, but that the woman hit the side of the Semi or Trailers it was hauling.
Dirty Mouth
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 11:07 p.m.
wrong (as illustrated by the new photo).
jcj
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 4:52 p.m.
She was going South the truck was going North. It appears he had not cleared the intersection when the car hit him a glancing blow and traveled through the intersection to the right side of the road just South of Liberty.
AlwaysLate
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:08 p.m.
John - "A dealer owned vehicle." That usually means that the car was being driven by a dealership family member or employee...or even worse...a customer on a test drive. Do you have any information along those lines?
John Counts
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:23 p.m.
Police believe the woman had just purchased the vehicle and it was in the process of being transferred into her name.
John Counts
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 12:28 p.m.
Police still can't release the name, but did say the victim was a 28-year-old Van Buren woman. Derrick Jackson with the sheriff's office said he will probably be able to release the name later this morning.
thinker
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 11:23 a.m.
Do we have the name of the victim? Shouldn't we know so we can console and pray for her family and friends?
John Counts
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 12:19 p.m.
I'm checking on this now. Police usually have to wait to notify next of kin before releasing the name to the public.
jns131
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 3:37 a.m.
I hate to say this also held up school buses trying to get children home which resulted in parents having to meet the buses elsewhere. What a mess. Glad it was resolved after school hours. Condolences to the families and remember this. Trucks are like trains. They can't stop either.
thisisnutzz
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 4:04 p.m.
That is so insensitive.
kalamityjane
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:48 p.m.
Wow, a late running bus and a parent potentially having to meet a bus somewhere to retrieve their child instead of a later arrival of a child seems insignificant considering a woman was killed. If they were running late to somewhere I'm sure telling them they were delayed due to a fatal accident would be an acceptable reason.
brian
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:52 a.m.
So sad. I worry about my girls driving everyday and I am always on them about paying attention. If your running late for something who cares, your going to be late. No sense in speeding to make you only ten minutes late instead of twenty. If you feel that you are a good driver well that is good. Instead of worrying about your own driving than worry about other peoples driving
vida
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 1:49 a.m.
They need to install a stop light!
jns131
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 3:37 a.m.
They also need one at Wagner and Scio Church. Do not see that happening any time soon.
ArthGuinness
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 3:01 a.m.
No they do not need to install a stop light. Stop lights should be for constantly busy traffic intersections ONLY. I already have to sit around town enough, burning gas while absolutely nobody is going through the green perpendicular. And no, the ones that detect cars don't help much (and in fact hurt, if you're riding a bike and they never turn green for you).
jcj
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:05 a.m.
There is a flashing red light there now for all directions. If someone ran the stop sign (I do not think that is what happened ) they could just as easily run a red light. It does not appear a traffic signal would have made any difference.
MRunner73
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 10 p.m.
Hopefully, more details will be provides as to the cause of the accident. What would cause the southbound vehicle to cross the center line?
dexterreader
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 12:39 p.m.
@jcj .... agreed. It is difficult to believe it could be fatal when it happened that close to a 4-way stop. But then .... it did involve a gravel hauler.
jcj
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:08 a.m.
No one should be going fast enough that close to the stop sign to lose their life unless there was a medical emergency or they were drinking ( no indication that was the case here.)
anniepeachie
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 12:33 a.m.
I live down the street and yes, there are definitely deer around there. Those quarry trucks are also ubiquitous in both directions, and they go very slowly. Occasionally someone will try to pass one. More often I've seen drivers pass one another on that stretch, even though there is little room for it to be safe to do so. I have no idea what happened, I only saw the aftermath. My thoughts are with the friends and family of those involved.
Ann English
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 11:59 p.m.
Are there deer in that area? If so, swerving to avoid deer?
commentmyway
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.
@A2citizen, my comment was made specially for the people who commented BEFORE the current picture was posted. The previous picture showed a car in a ditch....no reference as to where it was from the intersection. Although, when your talking car vs semi/gravel truck even 10 miles an hour can be fatal.
Ann English
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
I never saw that picture. If it was only of a car in a ditch, and it had already been reported that it was headed southbound, I would have concluded that it went off the road north of the intersection. The second picture shows it south of the intersection. I still don't think I would have wanted to see that photo. Gravel trucks do climb hills very slowly, but a heavy weight traveling slowly has the same impact as a lighter weight traveling fast. You're right, commentmyway.
Billy
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:59 p.m.
Awww no.....was that gravel train involved in the collision? That's not good at all...
Lonnie
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:30 p.m.
Yes, I'm glad you removed the first picture.
jns131
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 3:38 a.m.
Darn I missed it.
Ann English
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 10:59 p.m.
I'm starting to get the impression from you other comment posters that I'm glad I myself didn't see the first picture; that first picture, whatever it was, probably gave a wrong impression. Or even graphic ideas. Thank you.
John Counts
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:18 p.m.
The investigation is in its very preliminary stages. We will release information about what police think caused the accident as they release it to us.
RuralMom
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:16 p.m.
There are a lot of trucks in that area because of the gravel pit further South down Zeeb. Prayers to the family of the Lady and to the Truck Driver!
Blazingly Busy
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 2:39 p.m.
Wasn't there an accident a few years ago where a new driver was driving and her mom was passenger and they got hit by a gravel hauler as they tried to cross Ann Arbor Saline Road at Ellsworth? I think that had to do more with visibility though...
DeeDee
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:06 p.m.
I drive up and down this road daily and the number of people not stopping at the the signs at Liberty and even more so at Scio Church is terrible. Sheriff should be out there writing tickets every day!
Lynn Liston
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:21 p.m.
My experience, too, DeeDee. I go through that intersection daily and have been nearly hit several times by cars running the stop signs. It is also hard to see waiting cars at the stop on the west side of the intersection if you are on SB Zeeb. Something about the trees and shadows there obscures your view of them. No matter what the cause, it is very sad to know that a family will be grieving tonight.
commentmyway
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.
Head on collision according to witness does not suggest running a stop sign. Why do people speculate they know what happened before they have all the information. Thank you to AA.com for removing the previous picture.
Ann English
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 10:56 p.m.
A2citizen, I think you mean the woman's vehicle went off the road, and the ambulance is parked right beside it. I had no idea how many vehicles were involved in the crash, or if it had taken place IN the intersection, before this update.
a2citizen
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 9:33 p.m.
It's not speculation to see (in the photo) one of the vehicles behind the ambulance. IF both vehicles stopped at the intersection it's not speculation to wonder how a vehicle could develop the speed in that short of a distance from a stop sign, to cause a fatality.
smokeblwr
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 7:48 p.m.
I almost got whacked at this intersection a few weeks ago as an opposing driver just slowed and cruised through the stop sign rather than stop.
smokeblwr
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 12:41 a.m.
It would have been on the side as I turned left and the oncoming car just kept coasting through for whatever reason...not relevant to this tragedy it appears however.
Ann English
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
'Got whacked' gives us the idea 'got hit from the side,' not 'got hit head-on'.
John of Saline
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8 p.m.
Like cyclists. STOP, people. Not that hard.
RuralMom
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 7:57 p.m.
Has happened more than once to me & the hubby on the Motorcycle at that location too! Its like they treat the stop sign as a suggestion, verses a must!
a2cents
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.
4-waystop
DBH
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.
And the headline states "...fatal crash at Liberty and Zeeb roads" One or the other of the statements is seemingly misleading. As the crash is now reported to be a head-on collision, I think it less likely that it involved a stop sign issue, but difficult to know at this point. My condolences to the family and friends of the victim.
sellers
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
The accident was near, not a...." traffic accident near the intersection of West Liberty and South Zeeb roads..."
Ann English
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 7:07 p.m.
It took sheriff's deputies 20 minutes to get there? I'm assuming that the Scio Fire Department and an ambulance got there first. The Sheriff and Fire Departments are not too far away from this scene, just up Zeeb Road.
Kara Mannor
Thu, May 23, 2013 : 1:39 a.m.
The sheriff was on the scene no later than 2:20PM. The first responders were there within two minutes.
NCTerry
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 9:27 p.m.
I passed a Washtenaw Sheriff Dept. car headed south on Wagner approaching Liberty at around 2:15pm with lights and siren. Seems likely they were responding to this call. I tried to go through there at 5pm and the intersection was still closed in all directions.
John Counts
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 8:13 p.m.
You are correct, sellers: The units that were sent to investigate the accident were sent there at that time. Emergency units were on scene in a matter of minutes.
sellers
Wed, May 22, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
traffic units, not emergency response units, may be different people.