A three-car collision in Fort Gratiot Township sent a 14-year-old to an out-of-county hospital for treatment and left one driver with a possible head injury.
The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning that personnel from their agency, the Fort Gratiot Fire Department and Tri Hospital EMS were dispatched to the 4100 block of 24th Avenue on Thursday, December 28, around 4:30 p.m., due to reports of a major collision. Upon arrival at the scene, crews found three vehicles involved in the crash, which occurred at a traffic signal.
Preliminary investigation found that, at the traffic signal, a northbound 2021 Dodge Durango had attempted a left-hand turn into a shopping complex on the west side of the road. A southbound 2007 Dodge Ram, towing a trailer hauling a skid-steer loader, struck the Durango near the rear passenger door, which in turn caused the Durango to strike a 2017 Mitsubishi stopped at the traffic signal.
The Mitsubishi driver was waiting to exit the shopping complex onto northbound 24th Avenue at the time of the accident. Witness accounts are varied about the status of the traffic signal and further investigation is underway to determine possible right-of-way violations.
At the time of the accident, the Durango was carrying three minor passengers– a 17 year-old male front seat passenger from Warren, a 15 year-old female rear seat passenger from Warren and a 14 year old rear seat passenger from Southfield– and the 47-year-old male driver, with the 14-year-old passenger from Southfield sustaining serious injuries and requiring out-of-county care.
The Ram was occupied by a 12-year-old passenger from Kimball Township and the 59-year-old driver from Casco Township, who sustained a possible head injury while being unrestrained during the accident. Neither of the Mitsubishi’s two passengers were injured.
Alcohol and/or drugs are not believed to be factors in the collision, with additional investigation to be conducted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigation Team.
