TRAVERSE CITY — An out-of-control pickup truck that cannonballed down South Airport Road Thursday afternoon, striking several vehicles before becoming airborne and launching into a large tree branch then into a house, was caused by a medical emergency, police said.
Grand Traverse County sheriff’s deputies said the driver of the silver GMC pickup, a 75-year-old Traverse City woman, suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel and was taken to Munson Medical Center for treatment.
None of the people in the vehicles that were hit was seriously injured, Lt. Jon Morgan said. Two of them were transported to Munson; one may have sustained a broken arm, he said.
Several eyewitnesses at the scene, who said the truck was traveling at a speed approaching 90 mph in the busy 1 p.m. traffic on South Airport Road near Costco, expressed their gratitude that no one was killed or critically injured.
Morgan said the air bags in the pickup were almost certainly deployed in that first collision, which would then have protected that driver in the subequent impacts with other vehicles, the large tree limb and the house.
After the pickup crashed into several vehicles, eyewitnesses reported seeing it drive off the road at high rate of speed where it hit a ditch, which launched it into the air.
Witnesses said they saw it “soar” through the air before breaking through a large tree branch, then smashing down into the front of the house at 914 S. Airport Road, where it remained until it could be removed by a towing service.
Since the incident was caused by a health emergency, the driver will not face criminal charges, the lieutenant said, but her driver’s license will be suspended for at least six months.
After that suspension, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office will determine if, and when, it is safe for her to drive again.
Morgan said license suspension is standard procedure after medical-related crashes. Social media comments often attribute crashes, such as this one, to “road rage.” Officers are wry about these unfounded remarks. Medical-related crashes “happen a lot more often than people think,” he said.
Morgan also noted that some vehicle-related fatalities initially appear to have been caused by a crash, when the person actually died as the result of a medical emergency that preceded the crash.
The sheriff’s office may conduct re-evaluations of any driver who presents a potential hazard on the road, he said, but the Secretary of State ultimately determines who can and cannot legally operate a vehicle.
Doctors also play important roles in these cases, Morgan said. If a doctor doesn’t believe someone should be driving because of a health condition, he or she may make that recommendation to the Secretary of State.
“The state usually finds out about medical issues from a physician, or from a police officer who has cited the driver or investigated an accident, or even from concerned family members,” according to the Geherin Law Group, a civil/criminal defense organization out of Ann Arbor.
According to the Geherin group website, “Typical medical conditions leading to intervention include the following: Epilepsy/seizure disorders; glaucoma/cataracts/eyesight illnesses; hearing loss; physical/dexterity disabilities.”
The Secretary of State may also appoint health consultants to help make informed decisions regarding a variety of medical conditions, according to the Department of State’s Administrative Rules for Physical and Mental Standards for Drivers.
The rules dictate that “a health consultant may advise the department concerning physical and mental standards related to the licensing of drivers and safe operation of motor vehicles” and that, “upon request, 1 or more health consultants shall advise the department concerning an applicant’s or licensee’s physical and mental ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.”
If the Secretary of State deems a person unfit to be driving after a medical emergency-related accident, Morgan said that person has the right to request a court hearing and receive due process through their county’s circuit court.
A person who is aggrieved by a final decision of the department involving the application of these rules may appeal it.
After a driver’s license has been suspended, “the Secretary of State will often call the driver in for a re-examination procedure to determine his or her fitness to drive,” the Geherin group notes. “These re-examinations often include a requirement that the driver produce medical records and/or a physician’s statement attesting to the patient’s ability to drive safely (or lack thereof).”
Morgan emphasized that decisions by the Secretary of State to remove or suspend someone’s legal ability to drive are “not arbitrary,” and are often the result of collaborative efforts between first responders and health professionals.
Also, the amount of time that a driver’s license is suspended for medical reasons depends on each individual’s unique medical condition.
“If, hypothetically, someone had a medical emergency while driving, their doctor would ultimately recommend how long that person should stay off the road,” Morgan said.