Father of six killed when Oakland County road crew struck by wrong-way driver
Road crew struck by wrong-way driver in Oakland County
One man is dead and two others are injured after a wrong-way driver crashed into an Oakland County road commission crew.
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A vehicle fatally struck an Oakland County road worker Wednesday after traveling the wrong way down a divided street in Farmington Hills.
Two other road crew workers were injured while the driver was taken to the hospital.
Local perspective:
Family of Cedric Jones are grieving after the father of six was killed in a crash in Farmington Hills late Wednesday morning.
The man, a member of the Road Commission for Oakland County crew, was working on Orchard Lake Road when a vehicle crashed into him. He was one of three that were struck.
One family member said she was experiencing every emotion possible.
"This feels unreal. I wouldn't wish this on any family," Bettina Mitchell said.
Tracie Love, another family member of Jones, had just spoken to him before he was killed.
"Oh my God, this cannot be true. It cannot be true because we just talked," she said. She described him as a pastor who was committed to his church.
"I just want people to be more cautious when they see construction workers on the road," Love said. "Slow down. Nothing is that important to be in a hurry and now life is lost."
Cedric Jones was killed Wednesday after a driver struck him while on the job.
The backstory:
Shortly after 11 a.m. in Farmington Hills, Oakland County road commission workers were doing basin repair work between 10 and 11 Mile roads.
Then, the driver of a silver Ford Escape who was traveling southbound on Orchard Lake Road crossed through the median and continued in that same direction - but in the oncoming lanes.
Farmington Hills police do not know why the driver did that.
Before the crash, crews had followed the rules to ensure drivers could see the road workers, police said during a press conference.
"It had appropriate emergency lights on or warning lights and cones. "Unfortunately, it looks like that vehicle - because it passed through the median - it was able to strike those workers without any of that protective measure having any effect," said Chief John Piggott.
Driver kills Oakland County road worker, injures two others in Farmington Hills crash
Authorities are responding to a traffic crash that killed an Oakland County Road Commission worker Wednesday morning.
What they're saying:
The managing director of the road commission also released a statement.
"This devastating event is a stark reminder of the importance of work zone safety. Despite our crew taking every precaution to secure the area, there are still risks every single day on the job." said Dennis Kolar.
The Source: Interviews with police and family sources were used for this story.