DETROIT – Two people, including an EMS driver, died on Sunday after a driver lost control and hit them on the northbound side of I-75 near Caniff Street at the Detroit-Hamtramck border.
The incident occurred when an EMS driver, who was in between runs, pulled over to help a 36-year-old woman who had just crashed and was walking along the freeway. As the EMS worker helped the woman, a 58-year-old driver spun out of control, hitting both the EMS worker and the woman he was trying to help.
The woman, identified as a resident of Oak Park, died on the scene and the 38-year-old EMS worker, an employee of Superior Ambulance, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mary Franco, VP of the company, expressed her grief over the loss of their employee, saying, “We are devastated by the loss of our employee. No other comment at this time as we await completion of the state police investigation and out of respect for his family.”
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Local 4′s Crime and Safety Expert, Darnell Blackburn, emphasized the importance of following Move Over laws to prevent such incidents from happening.
“It’s super important because obviously, people’s lives are at risk not just the people who are broken down or the emergency services vehicle or emergency services people but the person who’s driving the vehicle,” Blackburn said. “I mean, you’re in danger too. And you put yourself at risk if you don’t move over and just move to the next lane.”
Officials echoed a similar message about Michigan’s Move Over laws. “If you see an emergency vehicle with its lights on, slow down 10 mph below the speed limit and move over,” Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said. “It really is that simple. Our prayers go out to both families dealing with this tragedy.”
At this time it is unclear if the 58-year-old driver will be facing any charges.
This is an ongoing investigation and this story will be updated as we receive more information.