Shelby Township

Shelby woman dies in Mound crash

By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

Shelby Township police are continuing to investigate a Nov. 20 crash on Mound, near M-59, that left a woman dead.

An officer who was in the area reportedly witnessed a westbound Ford Flex striking a Saturn that was heading southbound on Mound just before 11 a.m. The Saturn ended up on its side against a nearby cyclone fence.

After securing the scene, the officer and other nearby drivers rolled the Saturn back onto its wheels, at which time the officer determined that the driver, a 56-year-old Shelby Township woman, was deceased, said Shelby Township Police Chief Roland Woelkers.

According to police, the Flex’s driver sustained minor injuries and was released from the scene following an interview.

At press time, the investigation was ongoing, but “based on the preliminary investigation, the lady who was killed in the Saturn failed to yield — she ran a red light,” said Woelkers.

Police originally indicated in a release that they were trying to determine whether the Saturn’s driver had suffered some kind of medical emergency. Woelkers said Nov. 21 that a medical emergency did not appear to be the case, but it remained unclear why the woman disregarded the signal.

“I’m not sure we’ll ever know, since it’s such a bad accident,” he said. “All indications are that she has no known medical history, and we don’t have any witnesses to say it appears she passed out. We’re not really sure if she was distracted driving.”

Woelkers said police are awaiting an autopsy and toxicology results, but alcohol did not appear to be a factor. There also were no indications of excessive speed, he said.

All of the parties involved were wearing seatbelts, and neither vehicle contained passengers, he added.

The crash was the second fatal accident in Shelby Township in two days. On Nov. 18, a man was killed after his motorcycle crashed on Mound, just south of 26 Mile.

According to police, it appeared that the man was traveling northbound around 7:50 p.m. when he was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway and lost control.

Shelby Township EMS performed first aid at the scene, and the man was transported to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, where he died from his injuries shortly thereafter.

Police indicated that alcohol may have been a contributing factor. The victim’s name has not been released due to the ongoing investigation.

Anyone who witnessed either of the incidents is asked to call the Shelby Township Police Department at (586) 731-2121.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1046.