A tragic collision took place in Pittsfield Township when a 76-year-old man was fatally struck by an SUV on the streets of suburban Detroit, officials report. The deceased, Ernest William Lareau Jr., met his end while traversing Washtenaw Avenue near Foster Avenue around 10:50 p.m. on Saturday night, ClickOnDetroit detailed.
The incident involved an 18-year-old Ypsilanti man behind the wheel of a white Ford Escape, moving westward in the curb lane as Lareau Jr. attempted his crossing through what began as a routine Saturday night out for the resident of Pittsfield Township swiftly descended into a night of grief and questions—the unforeseen moment that is every pedestrian’s nightmare came to pass, a swift impact and the subsequent rush to the hospital where Lareau Jr. would ultimately succumb to life-threatening injuries, FOX 2 Detroit reported.
In the wake of the accident, the Pittsfield Township Accident Investigation Team maintains its probe into the grim proceedings, seeking to determine if drugs or alcohol played a role in this fatal event. During the investigation, a segment of Washtenaw Avenue found itself temporarily sealed off, with law enforcement officials urging anyone holding information or eyewitness accounts to step forward, offering contact details for the confidential TIP line, as stated in a report by WWJ Newsradio.
The teenage driver emerged from the accident with no report of serious injuries, meanwhile, questions linger in the community—the kind of questions that hover about heinous and heartbreak alike—authorities still have not confirmed whether the young man driving the vehicle that night had been taken into custody, while the memory of Ernest Lareau and the final, fateful moments of his walk live on in vigil candles and the silent prayers of his kin, ClickOnDetroit added.
Contact for the Pittsfield Police Department has been made available for those who may aid in piecing together the circumstances of this sorrowful tale: the Confidential TIP line at 734-822-4958 or the police front desk at 734-822-4911. The investigation, like the grief of a stunned community, continues onward.
