An 86-year-old woman met a tragic end after being struck by a snowplow in a Fraser, Michigan parking lot, as per local authorities. The accident occurred near the intersection of 15 Mile and Hayes roads when the driver of a commercial plow truck backed up rapidly into her. The police had arrested the driver, who is now awaiting the results of a toxicology test, as reported by Patch.
Officials indicated that the victim had just visited Salon Inspire & Day Spa before the incident. A stylist rushed outside upon hearing the collision, providing aid with towels and blankets. "The first thing he (plow driver) said was 'Please, don’t be dead,'" the stylist reported. "And in my head I’m thinking ‘you don’t want her to be dead because (unintelligible) because now you’re panicking about yourself.” The woman was scheduled to go grocery shopping but opted to head home instead, a decision that placed her unwittingly in harm's way, according to the Macomb Daily.
The plow driver, a 45-year-old Warren man, initially taken into custody, has since been released pending further investigation and the submission of reports to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. No charges have yet been filed as investigators continue their inquiry into the fatal incident. The landscaping company for which the driver worked was performing salting operations in the lot at the time, according to FOX 2 Detroit.
The sudden loss has stirred the community and raised questions about pedestrian safety amidst winter maintenance operations. "The critically injured elderly woman was quickly transported via EMS to McLaren Macomb Hospital where she subsequently died from her injuries," authorities shared in a news release, per the Macomb Daily. The case, casting a somber shadow across the community, highlights an all-too-common threat that pedestrians face during Michigan's harsh winter months. As the investigation carries forward, residents ponder the balance of safety and the necessity of snow removal during the peak of winter's embrace.
