A pedestrian was left in critical condition Monday morning after being struck by a van on Pennsylvania Road in Huron Township, and the driver fled the scene without stopping. The crash happened just before 8 a.m. between Huron River Drive and Wayne Road, and police are now asking the public for help tracking down the vehicle involved.
According to ClickOnDetroit, the van is believed to be a Chevy Express or GMC Savana, and it should have front-end passenger-side damage. Police say the driver left the scene heading eastbound on Pennsylvania Road after striking the pedestrian, who was taken to a local hospital. The Huron Township Police Department is asking the driver to come to the department to discuss the crash, and it's asking anyone who recognizes the van to call 734-753-4400.
A Second Serious Crash on Huron Township Roads This Year
The Pennsylvania Road incident marks the latest in a string of serious traffic cases the township's public safety department has had to investigate this year. Just over two months ago, a 13-year-old boy was struck and killed while riding an e-bike on Huron River Drive, though in that case the 17-year-old driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators, as Hoodline reported at the time. The department also investigated a separate fatal crash in late June at Bell and Waltz roads.
The Huron Township Department of Public Safety is led by Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Everette Robbins, who was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in June to represent law enforcement interests on the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. Chief Robbins holds a public safety degree from Siena Heights University. His department previously ran a targeted traffic safety initiative in August 2025 that produced 51 citations for texting while driving and one OWI arrest in a single day, per CBS News Detroit, with officials citing distracted driving as an ongoing local concern.
Wayne County's Outsized Share of Pedestrian Crashes
Monday's hit-and-run adds to a troubling pattern across Wayne County, which led Michigan in pedestrian crash volume in 2023 with 686 pedestrian-involved vehicle collisions and 60 fatal pedestrian crashes out of 2,114 statewide, according to Sommers Schwartz. Statewide, 2,281 pedestrians were involved in 2,131 motor vehicle collisions in 2024, resulting in 156 pedestrian fatalities and 1,809 injuries, per the Michigan Auto Law analysis of state crash data.
Hit-and-run drivers complicate a significant share of these investigations. A multi-year study of Michigan traffic collisions from 2020 through 2024 found that driver age was unknown in 27.8 percent of pedestrian-involved crashes, with 81.7 percent of those unknown-age driver records tied to hit-and-run incidents, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Regional data from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments shows pedestrian and bicycle collisions make up only about 1 percent of traffic crashes in the region, yet account for roughly 30 percent of all traffic fatalities.
Legal Stakes for the Fleeing Driver
Once identified, the driver who fled Monday's crash could face serious criminal exposure. Under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 257.617, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment of a body function is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, a penalty that climbs to 15 years and a $10,000 fine if the crash results in death. The pedestrian's medical costs, meanwhile, are covered regardless of whether the driver is ever found: under Michigan's No-Fault insurance statute, MCL § 500.3107, pedestrians injured in hit-and-run accidents are eligible for Personal Injury Protection medical benefits, according to Koussan Law.
Pennsylvania Road, where Monday's crash occurred, is a heavily traveled corridor between Huron River Drive and I-275 that carries industrial and commuter traffic near the CSX rail line. The stretch was allocated $15 million in federal funding for a rail grade separation project aimed at resolving traffic delays and safety hazards, according to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Anyone who recognizes the damaged van is urged to contact the Huron Township Police Department, located at 36500 South Huron in New Boston.
