Driver of SUV that crashed into county road crew truck on I-75 was retired police officer

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Two crashes involving road crews shut down I-75 near Schaefer - the workers are going to be okay but one of the drivers was critically injured.

The Jeep Compass overturned and mangled - missing wheels and even the engine. The driver was 48-year-old Greg Hartunian - a retired Madison Heights police officer for years before retiring.

He is now hospitalized after crashing into a Wayne County road crew truck on southbound I-75 Monday morning.

"We know that this person had some life-changing injuries through this crash," said Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw.

It was the second crash involving road crews in that area in a matter of minutes - the first crash happened shortly before when a Ford Escape crashed into a Wayne County road truck.

Nobody was hurt - but another Wayne County truck pulled into protect that scene when the second crash happened.

"Slow down," Shaw said. "Both of them were caused by speed - we're very fortunate with the amount of road workers that are out there nobody else was hit."

The interstate was shut down and traffic was backed up for miles as the investigation and clean-up were underway.

Sgt. Hartunian is retired from Madison Heights police but he had just been back this Monday morning - for a friend's promotional ceremony.

Madison Heights Police Chief Brent LeMerise told FOX 2 "We are praying for retired Sergeant Hartunian's quick recovery, and we are thinking of his family during this difficult time."

Hartunian was in critical condition but has been upgraded to fair condition.

"We had over a thousand people killed in Michigan last year all preventable traffic crashes because somebody was speeding, somebody was impaired, somebody was on their phone," Shaw said. "If we would just pay attention to driving, that rate would probably go down significantly.

"Take your time - that's all you've got to do."

Inset: Retired Madison Heights PD Sgt. Greg Hartunian was driving the Jeep Compass that crashed on I-75 Monday.