Driver Runs Red Light, Seriously Injuring Deputy in Crash

Driver Runs Red Light, Seriously Injuring Deputy in Crash
(OCSO, June 19, 2021)
Pontiac, MI – An Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy was seriously injured Friday after his patrol car was broadsided by another vehicle whose driver–a frequent traffic offender –ran a red light in Pontiac.
The Deputy, a 6-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, suffered multiple injuries and is hospitalized in stable condition in the intensive care unit. The driver of the other vehicle, a 36-year-old Pontiac man, was also hospitalized. Investigators said alcohol appears to be a factor in the accident.
“One of our Deputies was seriously injured this morning because another driver made the horribly irresponsible decision to drink and drive,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “This is yet another graphic illustration where drinking alcohol and operating any kind of motor vehicle can have life-altering consequences. We’re fortunate no one was killed and pray for the Deputy’s speedy recovery.”
The accident happened Friday at 12:03 a.m. on northbound Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Michigan Avenue in Pontiac. The Pontiac man was driving a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria eastbound in the westbound lane of Michigan Avenue when he disregarded a red light and struck the Deputy’s patrol car. The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph although it is unclear how fast the Pontiac man was driving at the time of the accident.
An independent witness who observed the accident said the Ford vehicle ran the red light, striking the patrol car.The patrol car was a total loss. In 2013, the driver pleaded guilty in 48thDistrict Court in Bloomfield Hills to driving on a suspended license.
In total, he has been cited on 15 separate occasions for various traffic offenses, including:
•Seven times for driving while his license was suspended
•Six times for speeding
•Once for disobeying a stop sign
•Once for having open intoxicants in a vehicle
•Once for failing to display a valid driver’s license
Investigators obtained a search warrant to take a sample of the man’s blood to test it for alcohol content. The results will be turned over to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for possible criminal charges
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