Car smashes into stop sign near UM medical campus, killing female passenger

HVA paramedic unit

A Huron Valley Ambulance paramedic unit on Huron Street in downtown Ann Arbor on Dec. 24, 2019.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

ANN ARBOR TWP., MI - A car smashed into an Ann Arbor area stop sign early Sunday morning, killing a female passenger from Westland, officials said.

Firefighters responded around 3:20 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, to the 4200 block of Plymouth Road near Earhart Road in Ann Arbor Township. The incident happened near the entrance to the University of Michigan’s East Medical campus.

A male driver was headed east on Plymouth Road prior to the sign being hit, officials from the Ann Arbor Township Fire Department said.

The 33-year-old female passenger died at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital after Huron Valley Ambulance transported her from the scene.

The woman did not have on a seatbelt at the time of the crash, officials said. The man driving the car was not injured.

Officers from the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security took the man into custody after he refused to take a field sobriety test, officials said.

He is being held at Washtenaw County Jail pending arraignment on formal chares, according to a representative from the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security.

Alcohol is considered to be a contributing factor in the crash, officials said.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff issued an alert at 4:34 a.m. Sunday for drivers to avoid the area by Plymouth and Earhart roads “due to a traffic incident.”

The incident remains under investigation.

Read more from MLive:

Ypsilanti woman in wheelchair killed after being hit on Michigan Avenue

Murder conviction affirmed, but case returning to trial court to correct double jeopardy issue

Ann Arbor officials’ inability to work together delays central park group appointments

Elks Lodge in Ann Arbor raising money after fire damages historic building

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.