Three dead after car crash in Detroit, car ripped in half

Police are investigating a crash that killed three people. The incident occurred just blocks from the Detroit police headquarters, at Michigan Avenue near 16th Street.

The collision split one vehicle in half with the front in the middle of Michigan Avenue and the back half wrapped around a light pole on the eastbound side.

Larry and Tahisha Smith had just left MGM Casino when they heard the crash.

“We heard the noise, didn’t exactly know what it was,” Tahisha said. “By the time we got up there, we saw the hood and another part of the car smashed up.”

Larry, a retired military veteran with 15 years of service, jumped into action. He tried to perform first aid but it was futile.

Police said two people in the Mercury Sable were declared dead at the scene. An 87-year-old man who was driving a Cadillac was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

Investigators are those who observed the carnage are still attempting to figure out what happened.

“I don’t see how anybody could have made an accident like that,” Larry said. “He had to be going over 100 miles per hour.”

“It was something I don’t ever want to see again,” Tahisha said. “My heart goes out to the family because that’s a harsh way to lose somebody.”

Police said the most confusing aspect of the crash is that both vehicles were traveling westbound on Michigan Avenue at the time of the crash.

There were reports of two people who survived the accident who allegedly ran from the scene, but police are still working to verify if that’s true.

Anyone with details about this accident is asked to call Detroit Police Department’s Fatal Squad at 313-596-2260 or Crimes Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up.