74-year-old woman dies in 3-car crash by gas station in Southfield

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) - A car crash that killed a 74-year-old woman in Southfield happened after a speeding car blew a red light, police say. The force of that collision pushed the car into a nearby gas station parking lot, where it slammed into a third car.

That third car, a Toyota Corolla, acted as a barrier of sorts and slowed down the car from crashing into the gas pumps, preventing a possible explosion.

You can see surveillance video of how close the accident came to the pumps in the video player in this story.

The crash was so intense that neighbors heard it all unfold from more than a block away from the site at 10 Mile and Lahser roads.

"I heard a car coming down 10 Mile at a high speed, and all of a sudden I heard this big boom," one neighbor told FOX 2's Taryn Asher. "The lady was lying on the ground and the guy was there giving her CPR. Then I asked him, I said, when you're done, I'll [relieve] you. And then I started and he said that's okay, and by that time emergency came and told us to move away."

Witnesses did what they could in the aftermath, but sadly it was not enough. The 74-year-old woman did not survive. She died en route to Providence Hospital.

One other woman was taken to the hospital but did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.

Police are still investigating the crash, but say it appears to have been caused by the driver who went through the red light.