9-year-old killed in crash on Southfield Freeway wasn't wearing seatbelt, police say

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 9-year-old boy died in a crash on the Southfield Freeway Tuesday night after the vehicle he was riding in was rear-ended by a box truck.

He wasn't wearing a seatbelt when the vehicle was struck.

According to Michigan State Police, the fatal crash happened after the passenger vehicle that was struck was driving on the freeway when they experienced some kind of mechanical problem. 

MSP Lt. Mike Shaw said they're not sure if the car had come to stop or was still moving slow when they were rear-ended near Eight Mile by a box truck. The boy in the backseat wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was killed in the crash.

"It's so hard to look at these events when you know they could be prevented," Shaw said. "He had a heck of a lot better chance of surviving if they would have had a seatbelt on."

The driver of the truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. A blood draw was taken due to possible narcotics impairment, police said.

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The driver of the passenger vehicle along with a juvenile in the passenger seat were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

A medical examiner is currently putting together a report and an investigation is ongoing. A final review will be sent to the prosecutor's office.

The boy had originally been identified as a girl in this report. It has been updated with corrected information.