Patient Dies After Ambulance Rolls Over in Sterling Heights Intersection Crash

A 36-year-old man from North Branch has died after the ambulance transporting him overturned in a collision with another vehicle in Sterling Heights.

The crash took place around 6 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Van Dyke and Metropolitan Parkway. Police said the ambulance was heading southbound on Van Dyke with its emergency lights and siren on when a Jeep struck it.

Sterling Heights Police Lt. Lamar Kashat described how the collision unfolded. The ambulance had gone through the intersection when it was hit by a vehicle traveling eastbound on Metropolitan Parkway, he said. "They were hit on the side passenger, that ambulance did roll and there were occupants in that ambulance that did sustain injuries."

The ambulance belonged to Aspire Rural Health System, which is based in Cass City, Michigan. A staff member who was riding in the back was taken to a local hospital with moderate injuries. Both drivers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. The patient being transported died at a local hospital.

WXYZ 7 News Detroit contacted Aspire Rural Health System to ask why the man was being transported and what his condition was before the crash, but had not received a response.

Investigators are still working to establish what led to the collision. "Speed, whether the lights were green, red, in what direction, we're still obtaining witness information," Kashat said. He added that the circumstances resulting in the patient's death remain under investigation.

For at least one nearby resident, the crash did not come as a shock. Lauren Haight said speeding and distracted driving have become a problem in the area, and that serious crashes keep happening in the city. "I've seen quite a few bad accidents in the last couple of months, and it's just honestly a little terrifying," she said. She said she has watched drivers refuse to yield to approaching ambulances even after the light turned green.

Kashat acknowledged that Van Dyke and Metropolitan Parkway is a known problem intersection and said police are committed to making it safer. He pointed to several recent efforts: "We've put in a lot of things in place recently at that intersection, we've established our Safe Road Task Force, we also have our Traffic Calming Task Force and we have our Safe Streets Initiative."

While the cause has not been determined, Kashat urged drivers to slow down and pull to the right when they see or hear an emergency vehicle. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to contact Officer Porter of the Traffic Safety Bureau at 586-446-2920.