MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Detectives in Madison Heights are investigating two pedestrian crashes. Thursday morning, a 13-year-old was hit near 12 Mile Road and Milton Avenue while walking to school.
Wednesday night, a 32-year-old man was hit and killed on Dequindre Road.
Jacquis Coulter, who works in the area, told 7 Action News, "It really scares me because I cross the street all the time over here."
"I either do a bank run or I go across the street to the Dollar General right there and a lot of the time when I cross the street, I have the walk symbol, but a lot of the cars have trouble stopping or they blow the light, especially when it’s dark," she explained.
Regarding the fatal crash, police said the victim was found in the roadway on Dequindre just south of 12 Mile. The driver kept going. Warren and Madison Heights police departments managed to catch that 40-year-old driver.
“Once they were caught, they were brought here. They’ve made no statements,” Madison Heights Police Department Lt. David Koehler told 7 Action News.
Unlike the driver in Wednesday night's tragedy, he said the driver who hit the 13-year-old remained on scene and was cooperative.
She was struck in the roadway near 12 Mile and Milton and was rushed to the hospital in stable condition
The circumstances of that incident are also under investigation.
“Drivers got to remain vigilant in their driving and their surroundings (both) early morning with the bright sun shining and late at night with the darkness," Koehler advised.
According to michigantrafficcrashfacts.org, there have been 4,436 crashes from 2013 through 2022 in the four-corner region encompassing 11 Mile to 12 Mile roads and Dequindre to John R. Of those crashes, 56 involved a pedestrian.
“If you’re involved in an accident stay at the scene, remain there, provide your information," Koehler said.
Coulter said she’s extra vigilant as a pedestrian, but there’s only so much she can do.
“People really have to watch what they’re doing, how they’re driving," she said.
Koehler said he expects the driver in Wednesday night’s tragedy to be arraigned Friday.
