Metro Detroit storm damage • Latest power outage numbers • Man survives being run over by train

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Power thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon and overnight led to a mess around Metro Detroit. Some areas experienced winds greater than 70 mph as the storms made their way through the area. 

From downed trees and power lines to power outages, many are now dealing with the aftermath of the storms.

In Lincoln Park, winds ripped through the area, causing witness Jessica Raymond WIlson to wonder if it was a tornado she was seeing. She submitted video to FOX 2 from the intersection of Dix Road and London Street.

The downed wires led to several fires, including a car fire in Garden City and a flaming wire in St. Clair Shores.

Getting around on Wednesday morning may be a bit tricky due to dark intersections and poles and wires down over roads. Leaning power poles at 10 Mile and Northwestern Highway has traffic lights out at the intersection. The southbound Northwestern exit to 10 Mile is closed due to this.

Did you experience storm damage? Share your photo with FOX 2 here and you could see it on air.

Hundreds of thousands without power

Wires are down, and that unfortunately means power outages.

As of 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, more than 207,000 DTE customers are without power, while more than 120,000 Consumers Energy customers are in the dark. DTE said it has crews from other states in Michigan as the company works to restore power. 

Click here for the DTE outage map or to report an outage.

These outages have led to dozens of school closings. Check the list here.

If you see a downed power line:

• Stay at least 25 feet away from a downed power line and make sure that you and your family, pets and neighbors don’t touch anything it touches – like a fence, or a puddle.
• Be sure to call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency.
• Assume all downed power lines are live and dangerous - even if you don’t see sparks, smell smoke or hear buzzing. Coming in contact with a downed power line, including touching it with an object – like a broom or pole – can result in serious injuries.
• Do not drive across a downed power line. If a power line falls on your car, stay inside and wait for help.
• Never cross yellow barrier tape surrounding the area of a downed power line.

A quieter day expected today

After Tuesday's severe weather, today is forecasted to be calmer - though storms aren't entirely out of the question.

It will still be warm and humid today, but temps do take a step back with spotty early showers and isolated to scattered storms later. However, severe storms are *not* likely. 

Current radar models show storms and rain arriving around 5:30-6 p.m. Wednesday.

The southernmost part of Michigan does fall into the Marginal severe weather risk category, but the bulk of the lower half of the state is only looking at thunderstorms. 

Man survives being run over by train

 A 20-year-old man was sleeping on railroad tracks in Ann Arbor when he got trapped underneath a freight train, and his left hand was almost amputated.

"This is a once in a career event. This isn’t anything we could train for," said Ann Arbor Fire Chief Mike Kennedy.

The man's hand was caught deep in between the wheel, axle, and part of the motor. The incident took place near North First Street and Miller Avenue at 9:37 p.m on Monday.

The freight train was moving slowly –at about 15 mph – when it struck the man, and was able to stop shortly after. However, the rescue effort was difficult due to the location and the strength of the metal.

"There was limited access, and all of that is really significant metal, so a lot of our normal tools and techniques don’t work for something that extraordinary," Kennedy said.

After one hour of attempting to remove his hand from where it was stuck, a University of Michigan surgery team was flown to the scene via helicopter to potentially amputate the man's hand. However, he was extricated without losing his hand. The entire rescue took almost two hours.

Detroit hotel manager accused of sexually assaulting worker

A new lawsuit filed by an ex-employee of the Detroit Marriott hotel at the Renaissance Center claims the woman was sexually assaulted by her manager.

The individual behind the alleged attack has since been arrested and charged with criminal sexual conduct.

But according to the victim's attorney, her new reality is a bad dream.

"This is like any woman or employee's worst nightmare is to be attacked and assaulted sexually at work," said Jon Marko, who is representing the victim.

Marko said the victim was groomed by her manager, who has since been identified as Durba Koirala.

The suspect then lured her up to a hotel room where she was given a drink. She subsequently lost consciousness after consuming the drink.

"What I really want to find out is if there’s other women - if this had happened to them," Marko said. "Because he was supposed to fly to Hawaii right after this is my understanding, and he just flew in from another place."

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Today will still be hot and humid, but quieter.

What else we're watching

1. Flint police say a young girl who claimed to have been kidnapped from Detroit may be false as the incident appears to have raised more questions than answers. The girl told a person Tuesday evening that she had been kidnapped from a McDonald's.
2. Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Michigan on Labor Day as she continues her campaign circuit through swing states in the 2024 election.
3. Lawmakers are concerned about radioactive waste coming to a landfill in Van Buren Township. They are questioning the safety of the material's transport and the notification process.
4. The second day of adult book fairs hosted by Sidetrack Bookshop and North End Taproom is today. Learn more here.
5. Still need Labor Day weekend plans? Check our event guide.

Special counsel files new indictment in Trump Jan. 6 case

Special counsel Jack Smith filed a new indictment on Tuesday against former President Donald Trump which keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations made against him in his Jan. 6 case.

The new indictment removes a section of the indictment that had accused Trump of trying to use the law enforcement powers of the Justice Department to overturn his election loss, an area of conduct for which the Supreme Court in a 6-3 opinion last month said that Trump was absolutely immune from prosecution.

The stripped-down criminal case represents a first effort by prosecutors to comply with a Supreme Court opinion likely to result in a significant revision of the allegations against Trump over his efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power. It was filed three days ahead of a deadline for Smith's office to tell the judge in the case how they wanted to proceed in light of that opinion, which said former presidents are presumptively immune from prosecution for official White House acts.

The special counsel's office said the updated indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, was issued by a grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in the case.