Sanitation worker dies from injuries suffered in crash with pickup
September 19, 2018
By Evan Sasiela
esasiela@mlive.com
COLUMBIA TWP., MI -
A sanitation worker has died from injuries he suffered in a crash Tuesday in Columbia Township.
Justin David Pratt, 27, of Jackson died late Sept. 18, after being struck earlier that day on the job, Columbia Township police said.
Pratt was working from a Modern Waste refuse truck that was struck about 7:49 a.m. Tuesday by a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup on Riverside Road, east of McKinney Road, and about a half-mile west of M-50, police said.
The refuse truck was traveling east on Riverside Road, making stops to dump trash from garbage carts into the back of the truck, police said. While stopped, and with its warning lights on, the refuse truck was struck from behind by the pickup, which was pulling a pop-up camper, they said.
Pratt was pinned between the vehicles, police said. He was taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Health in critical condition, they said.
A second sanitation worker, off to the passenger side of the truck, was not hit or injured, police said. The refuse truck had minor damage, they said.
The male driver and female passenger of the F-150, both of Jackson and both wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, were transported to Henry Ford Allegiance Health with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The pickup is a total loss and both air bags were deployed, police said. Police reported that the driver said blinding sunlight hindered his vision.
A Henry Ford Allegiance Health spokeswoman said the driver of the pickup was in stable condition as of Wednesday morning, Sept. 19. The female passenger was treated and released Tuesday, she said.
An incident report will be forwarded to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office for review upon completion of the investigation, police said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the crash, they said. Michigan State Police assisted with accident reconstruction.