Reckless driver triggers high-speed crash in Dearborn Heights, residents calling for change at dangerous intersection
(CBS DETROIT) - Residents are calling for change after a high-speed crash near a dangerous intersection sent several people to the hospital in Dearborn Heights Thursday.
"It's like a freeway here. It's like they are over here on Southfield Freeway, just vroom, every day," Dearborn Heights resident Alex Hernandez says.
Hernandez, who was at home, said he was lying down on his couch when all of a sudden, he heard a big boom.
"It was like an explosion. We came out the door; people are running out of their cars. One car is over there on the grass. One is over here...just panic, man," Hernandez said.
Dearborn Heights police say a driver going over 100 miles per hour crashed into multiple vehicles at the intersection of Evergreen and Kirkwood Avenue, causing injuries to at least six people.
"We have four families that are severely affected because of this one act," Dearborn Heights Police Director of Support Services Paul Vanderplow said.
This woman, who asked not to show her face, said her sister had just left home for work before she was hit and sent to the hospital.
"One of our main concerns, is she breathing, is she alive. We didn't care about anything else," the woman told CBS News Detroit.
Thankfully, she survived the crash and had this to say about the driver responsible.
"At that point, I was like, something is wrong. There might be a reason for his actions, but there is no reason for his actions to hurt others," she said.
For Hernandez, he said something has to change.
"I think more police patrol would help, a speed trap, whatever needs to be done because that is ridiculous," Hernandez said.
However, police say despite increased patrols, that has not been the problem.
"There are younger drivers who are driving cars who are a lot bigger, a lot faster. There is accountability from the student-driver, the younger driver, and then their parents," Vanderplow said.
Police say the driver responsible for the crash remains in serious condition. It is still unclear if there were any other factors involved that caused the crash.
