DETROIT (WXYZ) — A 35-year-old man is fighting for his life after being struck by a suspected impaired driver while changing a flat tire on the Southfield Freeway near Schoolcraft on Tuesday.
Casey Jones-Love was completing a DoorDash order with his wife and 3-year-old daughter in the car when they got a flat tire. While changing it on the shoulder of the northbound lanes, a vehicle crashed into them just after 7 p.m.
Watch Brett Kast's video report below:
"He says 'babe, I'm almost done,' and as soon as he said 'I'm almost done,' it was 'boom,'" said Johnisha Holmes, Jones-Love's wife.
Holmes said she briefly lost consciousness during the crash.
"All I remember is the car spinning and spinning," Holmes said.
Hear more from Johnisha Holmes in the video player below:
After regaining consciousness, Holmes quickly checked on her 3-year-old daughter, who was sleeping in the back seat, before searching for her husband, who she found about 20 feet away from their vehicle.
"I thought he was dead, just seeing him out there on Southfield Freeway laying on the street like that. All I remember is me just screaming and crying. I didn't know what to do. The people, they was running down on the freeway to help us," Holmes said.
Travis Peters, a 54-year-old Army veteran, was one of several bystanders who rushed to help after hearing the crash from his community garden just off the service drive.
"We hear a loud, just a huge skrrrr, boom,” Peters saud. "I could hear the mother frantically just yelling for help. That was it, 'help, help.'"
Peters and many others helped tend to Jones-Love's injuries, when he noticed the driver who caused the crash was still in his vehicle, a Chevrolet Impala, on the other side of the road.
"It took about four of us to try and rip the side passenger airbag out. We got him out... he was not himself — and I'm going to leave it like that," Peters said. "Can't play judge and jury right there, it’s about preservation of life. The necessary officials will do what they got to do in the aftermath of this.”
Travis Peters explains how bystanders rushed to help in the video player below:
Police say the driver of the Impala, a 52-year-old man from Plymouth, is suspected of being impaired. He was interviewed and released pending further investigation and results of a blood draw.
"These drunk drivers, what’s going on in this world today, you just got to be careful," Holmes said.
Jones-Love suffered a severe head injury, had a rod put in his leg, underwent surgery for internal bleeding and is scheduled for back surgery. Despite the severity of his injuries, his wife remains thankful and hopeful for a full recovery.
"I"m so thankful he opened his eyes, he squeezed my hand and he’s fighting," Holmes said. "God had us, he sent his angels upon me, my daughter and my husband."
Holmes says she broke a toe, and she and her daughter both have pain from the crash but are otherwise OK. She's also thankful to all the bystanders who helped, along with Michigan State Police, which she credited with having a quick response.
“Those people on that freeway, I'm so thankful they were able to help us because I wasn't in my right mind at the time," Holmes said.
“I hope the brother survives and recovers, 100% sending love to the ,om and her whole family,” Peters said. "When he left here, he was still hanging on to life, so that gave us something to feel good about.”
In light of the crash, state police warned of the dangers of changing tires on the side of the freeway.
“Two things can be taken from this crash," 1st Lt. Mike Shaw said in a statement. “First do not drive impaired. There are too many options available. End of story. Second, if you do get a flat tire on the freeway, call 911. There are safety vans that can help change the tire and keep you safe. If you don’t want to wait, drive off at the next exit and change the tire off the freeway. It is too dangerous to get out of your vehicle on the freeway.”
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