Head-on collision kills woman driving on Hayes Road

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) -
A woman was killed in a crash Monday night in Macomb County. Witnesses pulled over and tried to help - but there was nothing they could do.

"It was heartbreaking, it was hard," said Manuela Valenti. "It was hard the fact that we couldn’t do much for this woman to save her life."

It's a day Valenti says she will never forget.

The Macomb County Sheriff's Office said at 7:30 p.m. Monday, a white Ram Truck was driving southbound on Hayes Road, near 21 Mile, when it allegedly crossed the center turn lane and slammed head-on into a white Mazda heading northbound.

They say the Mazda rolled over a few times, crashing into a fence.

"We saw the mom, the mom arrived after everything was said and done," Valenti said. "The body was already taken out, she was pronounced dead on the scene."

Valenti was driving with her husband when it all happened.

"All I heard was a bang and a bunch of debris just went into my field of vision in the middle lane," she said.

She says traffic came to a complete stop, and Valenti, her husband, and others got out of their vehicles to help. Neighbors in the homes nearby joined them.

"My husband came in with a flashlight because I’m on the phone and i can’t do both things at the same time," she said. "He came with a flashlight and that’s when I saw the woman hanging upside down in the car. She was trapped."

Valenti remembers hearing her breathing, and asked for scissors to cut the seatbelt to get her out, but says there was nothing anyone could do.

"We thought there were many more people in the car because I saw baby blankets, like children blankets  in size," she said. "So I started panicking because of course, you panic,"

She says deputies and first responders were at the scene immediately.

They pronounced the victim, a 45-year-old woman from Shelby Township, dead and confirmed no one else was in the vehicle with her.

They say the other driver, a 17-year-old, was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. He is expected to recover.  

As for Valenti, she says it has been traumatic. She hopes this crash prompts others to drive safely and slowly.

"It’s the middle of the holidays and this family is going to be shattered forever," she said.

The sheriff's office says the investigation is ongoing. Alcohol is not suspected to be a factor.