By David Fleet
Editor
Five children under the age of 12 escaped injury when the van they were riding in collided with a pickup truck last week.
At 9:58 p.m., May 24, Brandon deputies responded to Baldwin Road for a call of a roll over accident with an adult and children in the vehicle.
When deputies arrived there were several Brandon and Oxford township fire and emergency personnel on scene. The deputy observed a van that had sustained extreme damage in the southbound lane-shoulder of South Baldwin Road. The van was facing northbound. The van body was extremely mangled, with broken glass and side curtain airbag deployed.
A pickup truck in the center of Baldwin Road had extreme front end damage, with airbag deployment and the windshield was smashed. There appeared to be blood on the windshield and on the driver’s side airbag.
The interior of the truck smelled highly of intoxicants. The family that were inside the van were sitting on the lawn being treated by medical personnel. A witness stopped got out of his vehicle and helped get the kids out of the van. The passengers included the a 37 year old female driver, two-11 year old females, a 7 year old female, a 3 year old female and a 2 year old male.

Lap belts and car seats were in use at the time of the crash in the van. The driver of the pickup truck was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report.
A witness of the accident informed the deputy he observed the driver of the truck hit the van, then flee on foot into the woods on the east side of South Baldwin Road. After making sure the occupants of the van were getting medical treatment, the deputy entered the woods in the same direction as informed by the witness.
The deputy observed the subject, a 35 year old male, lying in the weeds. He was patted down for weapons. The subject was covered in blood on his hands, arms and body. He smelled of intoxicants, his speech was slurred and he was very unsteady on his feet.
The witness to the accident reported the pickup, passed him, “like he was standing still.” The subject speed was estimated at 70 mph or faster.
The subject in the pickup truck struck the van in front of him, the witness reported. The van rolled several times. According to the witness the driver of the truck attempted to start the truck, then flee on foot into the woods.
The subject license was suspended, revoked per SOS. He was previously convicted of driving while license suspended on three occasions. The subject was belligerent toward deputies. A search warrant was issued by a judge for the subject’s blood. The suspect was transported to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment.
Two victims from the van were transported to Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital for further medical treatment.