Detroit — A man is dead after he was struck by a car as he stood in the express lanes of eastbound Interstate 96 and Evergreen on Detroit’s west side, Michigan State Police said Monday.
Officials closed the freeway’s express lanes at Outer Drive while they conducted an investigation, but it has since reopened to traffic.According to a preliminary investigation, state police troopers were called at 2:35 a.m. to I-96 and Evergreen for a report of a crash. They arrived and found a Mercury Mariner parked on the freeway’s right shoulder and a deceased man near the vehicle and on the shoulder.
Troopers spoke to the Mercury’s driver, who told them he was traveling east in the center lane of I-96’s express lanes when he saw a man standing in the middle lane. He told troopers he tried to stop, but was unable to avoid striking the man. Officials said the driver is not suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Investigators used a fingerprint scanner to identify the deceased as a 26-year-old. They said authorities are trying to locate his family and continue to investigate.