A child riding a bicycle was struck by a vehicle on Detroit's east side, and the child was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition, according to police. The crash happened Monday at the intersection of Outer Drive and Whittier Avenue, and investigators are still working to determine exactly what led up to it.
According to ClickOnDetroit, officers arrived at the scene and made contact with the child and others who were present. Medics then transported the child to a Metro Detroit hospital for treatment. Police described the investigation as preliminary and said more information could be released as it continues.
What Police Are Still Trying to Determine
The outlet's report does not specify the child's age, name, or gender, nor does it identify the driver involved, the vehicle's direction of travel, or the exact time of the collision. It's also unclear which hospital treated the child or whether any citations or charges have resulted from the crash so far. Those gaps are typical in the early hours after a police-involved report like this one, before investigators finish piecing together what happened.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to come forward. Witnesses can contact Detroit Police Department's 5th Precinct Detective Unit at 313-596-5545, reach out through Detroit Rewards TV, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
A Pattern of Close Calls on Detroit Streets
This isn't the only recent case of a cyclist being hurt on the city's east side. Just days earlier, Detroit police were investigating a separate crash that left a minibike rider in critical condition, after the rider, traveling westbound on Chandler Park Drive, struck a vehicle moving southbound on Dickerson Street, according to CBS News Detroit.
The broader numbers help explain why these incidents keep drawing attention. An analysis of Detroit crash data from 2017 through 2021 found 758 cyclist-involved crashes citywide, and an average of 42 pedestrians and cyclists were killed annually in Detroit crashes during that same span, per Data Driven Detroit. The same analysis found that 52 percent of pedestrian- and cyclist-involved crashes happened on roads carrying at least 10,000 vehicles a day, and researchers cited in the report estimate that only around 20 percent of cycling crashes ever get reported at all.
Fatal Crashes Elsewhere in Michigan
The dangers facing young cyclists aren't limited to Detroit. In Leroy Township, a 12-year-old Williamston boy was killed and his 13-year-old sister was critically injured when an SUV struck them while they rode bicycles on the shoulder of Grand River Avenue, according to WLNS. State police said the crash happened near N. Meech Road around 11:35 a.m., and that the driver, a 64-year-old Williamston woman, remained at the scene and was not arrested; investigators said drugs and alcohol did not appear to be factors. Once that investigation wraps up, state police plan to send their findings to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office for review.
Back in Detroit, no further updates have been released on the condition of the child struck at Outer Drive and Whittier Avenue since police listed the child as stable. The investigation remains open, and police have indicated additional details could follow as it moves forward.
