By Susan Bromley

Staff Writer

Brandon Twp.– A driver who was distracted by his cell phone rear-ended a police vehicle at 50 mph last weekend in the township.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputy, 29, suffered a concussion and was also treated for head, neck, back, shoulder and knee injuries at the hospital, from which he was later released.

“If it had not been for the seatbelt he was wearing, this would have been a much more serious injury accident, if not a fatal,” said OCSO Lt. Greg Glover, commander of the Brandon substation. “The impact pushed the patrol car almost 75 feet down the road.”

The 17-year-old Brandon Township man who struck the deputy’s vehicle, as well as his 17-year-old female passenger, had abrasions from their seatbelts but were otherwise fine.

The accident occurred at 7:47 p.m., Oct. 22, as the deputy who was on patrol in a fully marked vehicle was stopped on M-15 and about to make a left turn on to Long Lake Drive south of Seymour Lake Road. Glover said the teen driver that rear-ended the patrol vehicle was distracted by his phone, attempting to plug in a bluetooth device and not paying attention.

The majority of accidents that occur on M-15 in the township result from distracted driving, as well as motorists texting while driving, said Glover, who himself was rear-ended in his patrol vehicle last year on M-15 by a driver distracted by her phone.

Distractions are far from limited to phones— it can be anything that causes you to look away from directly what is in front of you, including a dog on your lap, something Glover has seen many times.

“If you are failing to use due care and caution, you will be ticketed,” said Glover. “Do not be distracted by your phone or anything else, especially in an area like M-15, which is a high pedestrian and high passenger vehicle area.”

The driver who hit the patrol vehicle last Saturday was cited for failure to stop in an assured clear distance and may face additional citations.