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Woman flown to hospital after crash; alleged drunk driver hits emergency vehicle blocking traffic

Posted at 5:33 AM, Jul 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-07 05:39:30-04

OAKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A woman was flown to the hospital after police say she blew through a stop sign and was T-boned by a pickup truck.  And while crews were just a few blocks up the road attempting to block traffic from entering that scene, an alleged drunk driver crashed into one of their emergency vehicles.

aeromed launchingIt all started shortly after 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, at the intersection of M-57 14 Mile Rd and Wabasis Avenue in Oakfield Township.  Michigan State Police troopers tell us that a woman failed to stop at the stop sign and was hit by a Ford pickup.  The woman's car ended up in a ditch.  Her injuries were serious enough to call in Aero Med to respond.

Police say paramedics were able to get the woman stabilized before loading her into the helicopter. She was flown to the hospital, but her exact condition was not immediately released.  She had a passenger in the car with her, and that individual was not injured.  The driver of the pickup was unhurt as well.

According to police, the woman was likely unfamiliar with the area and never saw the stop sign. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in that crash.

Then, at 2:30 a.m., while police were still cleaning up the scene of that first crash, a call went out over their radios alerting them to a crash just a few blocks away on the same road.  Police, fire, and other first responders then sped to the scene of that second wreck.

drunk driver vs fire truck

It had happened in front of the Halfway Restaurant, also located on 14 Mile in Oakfield Township.  A firefighter had been blocking traffic with his gray Dodge pickup truck and was standing outside directing vehicles away from the scene of the first wreck.  That's when a car smashed into his truck. When troopers arrived at the scene, they spoke to the driver, who told them he did not see the flashing lights.  He then informed them that he had been drinking.  Troopers searched his vehicle and found alcohol inside.

The alleged drunk driver suffered minor injuries in the crash.  The firefighter's truck was badly damaged, but he was uninjured because he was a safe distance away from his vehicle.

Both crashes remain under investigation.