DETROIT (WWJ) – Four people were hospitalized after an alleged drunk driver crashed into the back of an auto hauler in downtown Detroit Wednesday morning.
The accident happened around 7 a.m. on the ramp from I-75/I-375 to Gratiot, near Eastern Market.
Michigan State Police say the whole thing started around 6:30 a.m., when an alleged drunk driver was being tailed by off duty state trooper on northbound I-75 near Outer Drive. That’s when man started driving on southbound I-75 and took the ramp to Gratiot, according to Lt. Michael Shaw.
“The individual accelerated, went off on Gratiot, struck a blue in color pickup truck, which caused his vehicle to overturn and hit the back of a semi truck, or car hauler, that was stopped at a traffic light,” said Shaw.
Reporting live from the scene, WWJ’s Ron Dewey spoke to Maurice Harris, who watched the whole situation unfold.
“The white car was driving real fast and the pickup truck was trying to turn on Gratiot. The white car tried to swerve over, not seeing the truck, and bumped up-side the pickup truck and bumped right back into the back of that hauler right there. It was horrible, crazy,” said Harris.
Emergency crews responding to the scene had to use the Jaws of Life to extract the male driver from the sedan. That driver, along with two men and a 3-year-old boy from the pickup truck, were taken to the hospital with unknown conditions. The driver of the auto hauler was uninjured.
Although Michigan State Police initially told WWJ there was one fatality in the crash, they now say they are waiting on the official word from the hospital to confirm that information.
The ramp from I-75/I-375 to Gratiot is expected to be closed for several hours while police investigate.
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