PONTIAC, Mich. – A woman trapped under her car was rescued by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies after a hit-and-run incident in Pontiac.
Neighbors near Edison and Rundell streets were fed up with speeders, and the road workers in the area were concerned for their safety. In response, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office had a deputy run traffic enforcement in the area Thursday morning.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, a Consumers Energy crew was working near the corner of Rundell and Nelson streets. A sheriff’s squad car dashcam captured a silver SUV speeding through the construction zone. The deputy turned around to follow the driver only to see the GMC Terrain pick up speed, blow through a stop sign and crash into a 24-year -old woman and her toddler in a Pontiac G6.
The impact flipped both vehicles.
“The woman had been ejected from the vehicle. She was trapped under the vehicle with only part of her legs sticking out, she was unconscious,” said Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
The man who caused the crash crawled out his window and took off running, last seen running behind townhouses on Whitfield Street. He has been identified as 30-year-old Dontonio Tremone Nichols, of Pontiac.
Officials said Nichols is listed as a parole absconder and has prior convictions going back to 2008 in Oakland and Kalamazoo counties including for home invasion, fleeing police, possession of cocaine and receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle. He has been on parole since July 2, 2019, according to the press release.
Officials said a witness reported asking Nichols if the occupants in the other vehicle were OK, to which he said that he did not know and kept running.
Deputies realized the woman’s injuries were critical.
They lifted the car off of her and then heard the 2-year-old crying inside, still dangling from his car seat.
The woman is currently in critical condition. She did not have her seat belt on.
“This was life and death. She was under the car, they couldn’t wait for any kind of wrecker or assistance,” Bouchard said.
Anyone who knows Nichols’ whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up or the sheriff’s office. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
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