WARREN, Mich. – The father of a man who was hit and killed on the shoulder of I-696 after running out of gas wants answers about what made the driver lose control.
James Evans, of Warren, was killed Tuesday on the shoulder of I-696 near Dequindre Road. His father was there and witnessed Evans' death.
"To see your child on someone's hood, his legs were just mangled ..." father James Warr recalled. "It was all flesh. I just wanted my son back."
Warr said he still can't believe his son is gone. "Little James" called his father when his red Grand Am ran out of gas on the highway. The car stalled with Evans' 4-year-old son in the back seat.
Warr arrived with gas, placed the children in his black Magnum and parked in front.
"I told him to pour it like this in the gas tank," Warr said. He said his son was playing it safe, not standing in the freeway while he poured the gas.
While Evans was pouring the gas, his father started yelling as a silver Chrysler veered across three lanes of traffic.
"It had to be coming so fast," Warr said. "No sooner than I got out, he had already hit the car, and he crushed my son."
The impact killed Evans instantly, right in front of his father. What did the driver of the Chrysler say when he got out of the car?
"He's going to say, 'Did I hit somebody?'" Warr said. "I said, 'What the hell are you talking about? My son is on the hood of your car."
Michigan State Police troopers are still investigating the crash, and Evans' family has many questions for the driver.
"I want to ask him why," said Evans' brother, James Jackson. "What was your reason to come over with the force of speed and tear my brother's car up like that? What were you thinking? What were your intentions? Where was your mind?"
Warr said he didn't know what to tell Evans' son Jae'Cion.
"I didn't know how to tell him he's never going to see hiss dad anymore," Warr said. "He's asking all the time."