FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The police report for a crash that killed an Oakland County road worker in Farmington Hills is providing more details on the investigation.
The crash happened in a construction zone on Orchard Lake Road, between 10 Mile and 11 Mile roads, on July 23 at about 11 a.m.
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Police said a southbound SUV crossed over the median and struck three road workers who were conducting sewer repairs in the area.
Cedric Jones, a 43-year-old father of six, died at the scene. Two other road workers were transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
Police confirmed the road crew was parked legally with proper signage and safety precautions in place.
On Nov. 19, Kimberly Taylor was arrested and charged with moving violation causing death in a work zone and two counts of moving violation causing injury in a work zone.
She was released on a $5,000 bond. She’s scheduled to return to court on Dec. 9.
Local 4 filed a FOIA request for the police report and received it on Dec. 3, 2025.
Many portions of the police report were redacted, as the investigation is still ongoing.
Here’s what we found in the police report:
Witness statements to police
Multiple witnesses were at the scene and told police what they saw. In the police report, the witnesses’ names are shown. Local 4 omitted their names for privacy reasons.
Witness calls 911, tries to provide first aid
The witness was driving northbound on Orchard Lake Road when she heard a loud boom and saw debris flying in front of her car. She was in the rightmost lane behind the construction truck when she heard the noise. She stopped her car and saw two workers lying in the middle of the road. She said she heard the workers screaming and saw they were seriously injured. She went to check on the workers before checking the driver.
The witness said she thought Taylor was dead because she was not answering any questions.
The witness then went back to check on the workers. She said she remembered they were calling for “Cedric.” She then told the paramedics to check on Jones first.
Witness sees cars going wrong way before crash
A witness was driving south on Orchard Lake Road behind Taylor’s Ford Escape. She said she stopped at the light at 11 Mile and Orchard Lake when the Ford Escape continued through. When the light changed to green, the witness continued driving on Orchard Lake when two cars “came out of the Michigan Left on the wrong side,” prompting her to honk her horn. She said this was before the construction zone where the crash happened. She did not witness the crash, but she remembered the driver of the Ford Escape was looking straight ahead while driving.
She told police she believes the two cars going the wrong way on the Michigan Left could have caused a crash if it had happened in front of the Ford Escape. She did admit to police that she had trouble remembering exactly what happened due to how traumatic the scene was.
Initial crash findings in police report
Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills is a two-way divided road with a turnaround lane. There are two northbound lanes, two southbound lanes and a median with trees and shrubs.
The northbound left lane of Orchard Lake Road south of Misty Pines was closed by the Road Commission for Oakland County for road work. Police said there were posted signs on Orchard Lake Road north of 10 Mile, warning drivers that road work was ahead.
The left lane of Orchard Lake was closed with cones and a Road Commission trailer. The trailer showed a right-arrow light, directing drivers to merge into the right lane.
Investigators at the scene saw tire marks originating from the southbound turnaround lane at Orchard Lake and Misty Pines. Those tire marks led to the final resting position of Taylor’s car. The tire marks revealed the car was traveling over the curb and landscape shrubs, sideswiped a dumpster and then struck the RCOC crew.
The car stopped after crashing into the RCOC’s parked truck with an attached trailer. Both cars sustained heavy front-end damage. As the investigator was following the tire marks, they saw car parts on the grassy median, and the car’s left side mirror was on the roadway. The investigator did not see any brake marks on the road surface or the median.
Crash report
The police report provided a visual of how the crash happened:
In the police report, officers said it was 78 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny and dry on the day of the crash. Police also said there were no “obvious abnormalities” near the area of the crash.
According to the police report, alcohol and drugs were not suspected or contributing factors in the crash.
Surveillance video, 911 audio
A police officer requested all 911 audio from the Farmington Hills Police Department dispatch. Dispatch provided six auto files, with one of those files from Ford. According to the police report, there had been a crash and the following information was provided: The maximum speed change, which was redacted from the police report, airbags had been deployed, one occupant, and seatbelts fastened.
Dispatch also provided video from the police department exterior cameras of what appeared to be the Ford Escape involved in the crash heading south on Orchard Lake at 11 Mile. Fire Station 5 also had video of the car traveling on Orchard Lake. However, the video doesn’t show which lane the car was in.