Auburn Hills Employee on Leave After Fatal Front End Loader Crash
On Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 6:30 am, personnel from the Auburn Hills Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to a serious injury crash involving a 2021 Jeep Wrangler and a Caterpillar front-end loader on Brown Road, just west of Giddings Road.
The preliminary investigation reveals that the driver of the Jeep, a 47-year-old female from Lake Orion, Michigan, was traveling westbound on Brown Road. The front-end loader, being operated by a 42-year- old City of Auburn Hills employee, was pulling out of the Auburn Hills Department of Public Works property onto eastbound Brown Rd.
The front-end loader struck the Jeep Wrangler in the roadway. The 47-year-old female was unresponsive and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The 42-year-old male was uninjured in the crash and is cooperating with investigators. At this time, the City of Auburn Hills employee has been placed on paid administrative leave.
There were no other occupants in the Jeep, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash. Alcohol and/or drugs do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
This crash is currently being investigated by the Southeast Oakland County Crash Investigation Team (SOCCIT). SOCCIT consists of crash investigators from Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Twp., Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and Clawson. Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the Auburn Hills Police Department at 248-370-9460.
UPDATE: On Friday, Mayor Kevin McDaniel released a statement about the crash, saying “The City is deeply saddened by the death of a Lake Orion resident in the accident with a City vehicle on Brown Road, on the morning of March 3, 2022. As mentioned in the media release provided by our Deputy Chief of Police, the matter remains under investigation by the Southeast Oakland County Crash Investigation Team (SOCCIT). We ask that everyone keep the deceased and her family in their thoughts and prayers. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”
NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
This story is presented without in-story advertising due to the subject matter.