Photo courtesy the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan
By John Turk, The Oakland Press
Posted: 09/21/16, 7:47 AM EDT
Photo courtesy the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Commerce Township, Michigan
An Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after a crash Wednesday morning in Commerce Township involving his motorcycle and an SUV, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
The collision occurred sometime before 6:27 a.m., on northbound Newton Road, south of Richardson Road. Officers were sent to the area to investigate the incident, in which the deputy was injured and his 2008 Harley Davidson sheriff’s office motorcycle was damaged after avoiding a collision with an SUV.
The 46-year-old deputy was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Farmington Hills with injuries to his eye, face, leg and hands. The officer, who has been in law enforcement 20 years, was last listed in stable condition.
Later, investigators learned that the on-duty deputy was driving northbound on Newton Road approaching Richardson Road when a white GMC Terrain SUV turned left in front of him while heading east on Richardson.
“The deputy avoided hitting the SUV by laying his motor unit down in the intersection, which caused him to be ejected from the motor unit,” Oakland County Undersheriff wrote in a media release issued Wednesday morning.
“No contact was made with the GMC Terrain.”
The driver of the SUV, a 61-year-old Commerce Township woman, was not hurt and stopped to assist the deputy following the crash.
Investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor in the incident. The deputy was wearing a protective helmet and protective clothing when the crash occurred.
The incident remains under investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Crash Reconstruction Unit.
— Staff writer Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.