Drivers traveling on M-24 on Thursday afternoon spent a lot of time idling on the roadway as the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department worked to clear a three-car accident at the intersection of Lapeer and Clarkston Roads.
The accident occurred around 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 18, when a 1999 Ford Taurus driven by a 17-year-old N. Washington Street man, stopped for a yellow light at Clarkston Road while traveling northbound on Lapeer. His vehicle was rear ended by a 16-year-old Indianwood man, who was driving a 1991 Saturn.
According to Sgt. Joseph Scarpelli of the OCSD, who responded to the accident scene, the driver of the Saturn was a “relatively new driver” who thought the driver of the Taurus would proceed through the yellow light.
“When you hit your brakes hard, your vehicle dips,” he explained. “When (the Saturn driver) struck the Taurus, (the Taurus) went airborne and ended up on top of the Saturn.”
A third vehicle, a 2002 Chevy Silverado, driven by a 29-year-old Oxford man, was unable to stop and rear ended the Saturn after it struck the Taurus. None of the drivers were injured in the accident, and the drivers of the Saturn and the Silverado were both cited and issued tickets for failure to stop within assured clear distance.