Did A Pothole Play A Role In The Death Of Father, Son In Car Accident?
OAKLAND COUNTY (WWJ) - An accident on Pontiac Trail near Silverbell Road claimed the lives of two family members Tuesday morning.
Pedro Montanez, of New Hudson, and his son Steven were killed Tuesday morning when they hit a pickup truck head-on on the way to school.
At the time of the accident it was speculated that Pedro Montanez lost control of his car along Pontiac Trail near Silver Bell after he may have hit a patch of ice. Now questions are being raised as to whether he swerved to avoid a large pothole.
Craig Bryson at the Road Commission of Oakland County spoke with WWJ Newsradio 950 about the recent road repairs in the area of the accident.
"We don't know what happened in the accidents but we do know that's a continuous problem area, where those potholes are, we had patched them, it was one of the last things we did before the Martin Luther King holiday we patched those potholes," said Bryson.
Bryson says the road conditions will continue to be in bad shape due to budget cuts.
"We received calls about the pothole during the day on Tuesday - obviously we were aware of the crash but as soon as we were able to we went out and patched those potholes on Tuesday afternoon," he said.
Bryson notes that due to weather conditions "the pothole patches do not last, sometimes, that long in the winter. Apparently the patches popped over the weekend or on Martin Luther King Day, and reportedly, we don't know this for a fact, there are reports that the patches popped by Tuesday morning."
Montanez was pronounced dead at the scene. His son, Steven — a student at Kent Lake Elementary School — died a short time later.
The two other children — a 10-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl — were being treated at CS Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. The boy was last reported in critical condition, while the girl was reported stable.
The pickup truck driver, 25-year-old Farmington Hills resident, was not hurt. Sheriff's officials said he did attempt to avoid the crash by running off the roadway to the right onto the shoulder.
All occupants were wearing seat belts, authorities said, and the little girl was in a proper booster seat. Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the crash.