Detroit EMS worker and driver of crashed car both killed on I-75 when third driver loses control

DETROIT (FOX 2) - EMS driver Matt Madigan was wrapping up his shift early Sunday morning and was heading to drop off the EMS rig when he witnessed a crash right in front of him on I-75 near Caniff. He followed his calling and stopped to help - only to be killed by another driver moments later.

Madigan was one of two people killed early Sunday morning on I-75 after stopping his Superior Ambulance rig to help a driver after witnessing the crash.

General manager Dustin Hawley said they see tragedy every day but this time, it's one of their own.

"It's more tragic than we have ever experienced this," Hawley said. "Matt was just a good person who cared about people."

Madigan, 39, had been driving with Superior Ambulance since 2017 and had just dropped of his partner around 2 a.m. on Sunday. He was on I-75 and heading to drop off the ring when a car, driven by a 36-year-old Oak Park woman, crashed in front of him.

"EMTs and paramedics they don't do this for fame and recognition, they do this help people," Hawley said. "By all accounts he did anything that anyone on our team would do and that's to help someone else."

While he was helping her, another driver spun out of control - hitting and killing them both.

That driver, a 58-year-old man from Washington, Michigan, could be charged. It’s unclear if alcohol or drugs played a role.

Regardless, Hawley says Madigan's death is a reminder that drivers have to give first responders space they need.

"They are out there. That's their job. They're trying to take care of a situation they're trying to take care of people they're trying to do their job and the least we can do is slow down move over and give them the space they need," he said.

The incident has renewed calls for safer driving practices, especially in construction zones and in the presence of emergency vehicles. Fines and prison sentences rise in both locales when a crash occurs.

Those found at fault for a crash in a construction zone that kills a worker face up to 15 years in prison. Those that don't move over for an emergency vehicle can be fined $400.