DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. – A father from Dearborn Heights was trying to avoid flooding Friday night when he became stuck on the shoulder of the road.
Hayder Mousawi said Dearborn Heights Police gave him a ticket for driving on county turf after he became stuck. Mousawi said he will fight the ticket.
He said he was trying to get his wife and three young kids home safe when they were surrounded by flooded streets and just two blocks from home.
He said he watched other drivers drive up on the grassy shoulder to get around a stranded car and when he tried the same thing he became stuck.
Damage was done to the median. A nearby resident took pictures when the vehicle was stuck and reported it to Dearborn Heights police.
“I didn’t want to go on the grass. It just felt like it was an emergency situation. I just wanted to get my family home,” Mousawi said.
When a Dearborn Heights officer arrived he gave Mousawi a ticket for “driving on the county turf.”
“I am very disappointed. They did not help me,” Mousawi said.
Dearborn Heights Police Chief Mark Meyers said Mousawi wasn’t stranded in floodwaters but did damage to the grassy median. He said drivers will be held accountable for their decisions on the road and that Mousawi can fight the ticket in court.