The woman who crashed her SUV into the vehicle containing a local judge and her family on Memorial Day may have been drugged.
The accident occurred just before 6:30 p.m. May 26 as 52-2 District Court Judge Kelley Kostin, Clarkston attorney Robert Kostin’along with their 13-year-old son and a friend’were making a quick trip for milk after returning from the pool.
At the intersection at Pine Knob and Clintonville Road, the Kostins watched as an oncoming white Trailblazer plowed into the back of a pickup truck stopped at the light.
The Trailblazer then went airborne for several seconds, said Bob Kostin, before landing on its left side and sliding through the intersection and into his Yukon.
Inside, the Kostins were shaken, but unharmed.
‘It was a very scary moment,? he said, noting the incident was the first car crash he’s ever been involved in. ‘I knew she was going to hit us, but I couldn’t get out of the way’all I could do was grab the steering wheel and hold on.?
According to police reports, the Trailblazer was driven by a 49-year-old Independence Township woman, who told deputies at the scene she took ‘five Soma and two Vicodin tablets.?
The woman’s 12-year-old granddaughter, who was in the car at the time of the crash, crawled through a window and sat on a nearby curb as Independence Township rescue workers cut off the Trailblazer’s roof to free the driver from inside.
Kostin initially told police the impact blew out the driver’s side window of his Yukon, but later realized the ‘bucket of glass? inside his vehicle was actually from the Trailblazer.
The warm weather, Kostin said, had prompted him to put his windows down moments before.
Deputies who questioned the Trailblazer’s driver at the scene noted her speech was ‘slow and deliberate,? and ‘she didn’t remember anything about the crash and had a difficult time remembering her phone number.?
A number of loose pills were also discovered in her wallet.
The pickup truck was driven by a 43-year-old Waterford man, who told police he also saw the vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed, and said he twisted his back and the impact caused his head to bounce off the truck’s rear window.
Given his initial thoughts as the scene unfolded, Kostin said it was remarkable no serious injuries resulted from the accident.
‘I hope this never happens to anyone else,? he said.
‘It was like this slow motion event coming at us, and there was nothing I could do. I thought she was going to stay airborne and land on my hood. I thought she was coming right through my windshield.?
The Trailblazer’s driver, who did not immediately complain of injuries, was transported to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital for a blood draw, which was sent to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab for analysis.
According to Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation commander Lt. Dale LaBair, any charges will be determined by the county prosecutor’s office pending test results.
Normal turnaround time, he said, is about 30 days.