Some spectators probably thought so, but first responders dashing out of the Patriot Day ceremony last Thursday night were not participating in a staged event.
‘Nine minutes into the program, pagers went off indicating a possible injury accident,? said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh. ‘We were literally standing at attention at the event.?
A 46-year-old Lake Orion man, with a pre-existing medical condition, was involved in a single vehicle crash at Lake Orion Lumber on M-24.
The man, traveling southbound, lost control of his vehicle and hit the guardrail near Lake Orion, according to Narsh.
‘It bounced him back diagonally across all five lanes of M-24,? he noted.
Narsh said it was a ‘miracle,? that the man was not hit by other traffic.
‘It’s almost an impossible task not to strike another vehicle at that time of day,? he said.
The vehicle went through a Lake Orion Lumber display shed, before hitting a chain link fence and a pile of lumber, stopping its forward movement.
‘Both airbags deployed and kept the driver from further harm,? Narsh said, adding that a preliminary investigation indicates the driver may have been unconscious through the whole ordeal.
‘He was okay, but the car was completely destroyed,? Narsh said.
The man has since been released from the hospital.
Narsh joked that the man had, ‘the best dressed first responders on the planet.?
‘He definitely had 9/11 angels watching over him,? he added. ‘Our local units had a chance to show the public that we’re always at the ready.?