Crash aftermath in Detroit 'looks like a hurricane'

DETROIT (WJBK) - Clean-up along one major street in Detroit has begun after debris was scattered everywhere during a deadly accident Monday morning.

Police say a 60-year-old man started having a heart attack around 7:30 a.m. while driving westbound on Grand River Avenue near Avon Road, which is between Outer Drive and Southfield Road.

"We see a bunch of stuff in the street, like street light parts, and we're like, 'What's going on?' It looked like a hurricane happened; there's poles everywhere," says Selena Amad.

As you can see from the damage, he took out everything in his path.

"I've seen people hit one pole, two poles, maybe a wall - but the guy knocked five poles out and he went through the gas station across the street, right through the fence of the business across the street from me into the back of the people's house," says Steve Amad, the owner of Optimum Car Care on Avon Road.

The man's truck finally stopped when it crashed through a fence near Stahelin Road and Grand River Boulevard, narrowly missing two homes there.

Somehow no other cars were clipped and nobody else was hurt.

The wreckage left behind did delay traffic. People in the neighborhood and Detroit police eventually grabbed brooms - basically anything they could - to get the debris off the roadway and get the cars moving for the morning commute.

"I'm so glad nobody got hurt. I feel bad for the guy; God bless his soul; but I'm glad. It could have been a lot worse. He could have hit the pump at the gas station and blown up the whole thing," Steve says.

The 60-year-old man has died. It's unknown at this time if died in the crash or due to his medical emergency. Police have not given his name.

Public Lighting says they hope to have the light poles replaced as quickly as possible.