Mail carrier stops runaway vehicle after driver passes out

Brandon Franklin chased Jeep in West Bloomfield Township

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – When a mail carrier in West Bloomfield Township saw a vehicle speeding and swerving Thursday, he jumped into action and stopped it.

Brandon Franklin was driving on Orchard Lake Road during his route when he saw a Jeep traveling erratically.

"She's got her hazards on. She's swerving all over the road," Franklin said.

Franklin said he sees a lot of poor driving, so he didn't immediately assume anything was wrong. When he got next to the vehicle, though, he realized there was a problem.

"I look and there's no one there," he said.

The driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 30s, had passed out and was slumped over the center console. 

Franklin put the mail truck's hazard lights on, got as close to the Jeep as he could, got out and ran.

"I was like Usain Bolt. I just sprinted a 100-meter dash and I'm able to catch up to her," he said.

A 911 caller saw Franklin running down the street before he jumped in the driver's side window and stopped the Jeep.

"Of all the things you've seen on your routes, that takes the cake," Franklin said. "The driverless Jeep takes the cake."

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