Telegraph reopened at Ford Road in Dearborn Heights after teen hit by vehicle
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A teen was hit by a vehicle and dragged while crossing Telegraph in Dearborn Heights on Monday afternoon, prompting the northbound lanes to be closed for several hours as police investigated.
Police said the 16-year-old victim was crossing the northbound side of the road near Ford around noon with another teen relative when he was hit by a car driving north on Telegraph.
The driver had a green light at the time, police said. He stayed at the scene and is cooperating.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where his condition is unknown.
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Jessica Good was sitting at the stop light and watched the crash unfold. She immediately ran to help.
"Everyone gave up their shirts and we sat there and held the shirts to his head and his arm and the ambulance took him away. I don't know how he is so it's still haunting me," Good said.
She was stopped at the red light on Ford Road when she saw the teen try to cross Telegraph. When the light turned green, she didn't go because she saw him crossing. However, a Mazda came up from behind, through the green light, and hit the teen.
"Obviously we're slowing down and stopped for a reason for you to go around us," Good said. "I don't care green light or not you don't go that fast at all."
Workers from a nearby auto shop also ran to help, including Michael Koussan and Mohammad Monet.
"We went up to him, someone was holding his head someone was putting pressure on his arm because there was so much blood," Koussan said. "He hit him so hard he knocked the side mirror - the fender - everything off of his car - and busted his windshield."
They say the teen's brother was with him but didn't try to cross the street.
"She was crying really bad - it was really sad," Monet said.
The mother went to the hospital as the driver - a man in his 20's - was interviewed by police. A friend of his, identified only by the name Eddie, came to check on him.
"A friend of mine gave me a call and said 'I need your assistance, I just got into a really bad car accident'," Eddie said. "He was driving normally, he was crossing the light (and) it turned green and randomly, suddenly he (saw) a kid right in front of him and he smashed his window."
Eddie said his friend was shaken up by what happened.
Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart said, based on surveillance video and because the teen wasn't in the crosswalk and the driver had a green light, it appears to be a horrible accident and not a crime.
"Ask for prayers for him and his family and of course the driver as well - this doesn't appear to be anything that was his fault," Hart said.