ROMULUS, Mich. -- The driver of an SUV involved in a crash with a tractor-trailer and a front-end loader at Interstate 94 and Vining Road in Romulus died at a local hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Reginald Q. McCutchen, 35, of Detroit, suffered serious injuries and was reportedly not breathing at the scene. State police troopers say four Samaritans stopped and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man to restore his breathing. He was airlifted to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, where he was later pronounced dead.
McCutchen was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred, according to Local 4 reports.
A construction vehicle on a flatbed truck was reportedly too high and hit the overpass on the freeway, causing a crash with a tractor-trailer and McCutchen's SUV around 9:30 a.m.
Initial reports said the tractor-trailer hit the overpass, but it was a front-end loader that caused the damage to the Vining Road bridge, the station reported. The tractor-trailer then collided with the front-end loader, which came loose from the flatbed truck, according to Local 4.
"Set up way too high and it hit the bridge. Knocked the front-end loader off on top of my truck," Bill Gardner, the driver of the tractor-trailer, said.
Gardner's tractor-trailer was dragged about 100 feet from the crash, Local 4 reported.
"Everything happened so fast. It was just unbelievable," Gardner said. "I must have been alongside of it when it happened."
The tractor-trailer reportedly lost its load, leaving debris scattered on the freeway and on other vehicles. McCutchen's SUV was flipped onto its side, according to a report from Sky 4.
Gardner was treated at the scene for minor injuries, the station reported.
The cab of Gardner's tractor-trailer suffered extensive damage, according to Sky 4 video. The vehicle reportedly drove off the freeway and into the grassy median.
The driver of the front-end loader was ticketed for hauling an oversize load. Additional charges may be handed down because the crash turned fatal, according to Local 4 reports.
Michigan State Police remained at the scene of the crash on the westbound lanes of the freeway at Vining Road, just west of Merriman Road, Local 4 learned. The westbound lanes were closed at Vining Road as emergency crews worked at the scene and Michigan Department of Transportation crews assessed the structural damage to the bridge.
Traffic was reportedly at a standstill on westbound I-94 before the crash scene. Eastbound delays were also reported.
Officials at nearby Detroit Metropolitan Airport suggested drivers head west to enter the airport from Eureka Road. Airport spokesperson Michael Conway said the crash did not affect air travel.
The right lane and right shoulder on westbound I-94 at Vining were reopened to traffic around 4 p.m. and the remaining lanes were cleared for traffic shortly after, according to Local 4 reports.
MDOT crews determined that only one front beam was bent on the bridge. The height clearance on the overpass was temporarily lowered to 14 feet 4 inches until crews are able to repair the damages.
Several weeks ago, another major freeway suffered bridge damage.
Interstate 75 was closed from Eight Mile Road to Six Mile Road (McNichols) while crews repaired damage to the Nevada Road overpass caused by a construction crane on March 30.
Michigan State Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed Wednesday's crash to contact the metro south post at (734) 287-5000.
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