PONTIAC, Mich. — Dashcam video released by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office shows several deputies lift a car that flipped over on top of an ejected, unconscious woman following a horrific hit-and-run collision Thursday morning in Pontiac, Michigan. The woman’s 2-year-old boy was suspended upside down in the vehicle. The suspect—a parolee—was subsequently found and arrested, according to reports.
The mother, 24, was ejected from her vehicle after a speeding car ran a stop sign and broadsided her. The driver of the suspect vehicle reportedly bailed on foot and fled the scene. He was later found and captured. He’s been identified as Dontonio Nichols, 30, FOX2 Detroit reported.
Dontonio Tremone Nichols, 30, was arrested Friday evening. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)
According to FOX, a deputy witnessed the crash and quickly realized the woman was trapped beneath her vehicle and the 2-year-old child was dangling upside down in a car seat.
Hence, eight deputies who responded to the scene got on one side of the car and were able to lift it high enough to free the injured victim. Moreover, they freed the child from the car seat and amazingly, the toddler was uninjured.
“The woman had been ejected from the vehicle, she was trapped under the vehicle with only part of her leg sticking out, she was unconscious,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
“They realized this was life and death, she’s underneath the car, they couldn’t wait for any kind of wrecker assistance, and the jaws of life probably wouldn’t even be functional,” Sheriff Bouchard told FOX2. “She didn’t have the time to wait so they got as many bodies there as fast as they could, [lifted] the car, and [pulled] her out.”
Sadly, the mother, 24, is listed in critical condition. She was not wearing a seatbelt prior to the collision.
According to law enforcement authorities, Nichols was a parole absconder who was attempting to get away from the sheriff’s deputy who was trying to pull him over for speeding. He was arrested later Friday night.
“He had to get out of the passenger side of his car because it was so impacted from the crash,” Bouchard said. “So he knew it was a traumatic crash and he didn’t care what happened to whoever he hit.”
Nichols has a criminal record that includes home invasion, fleeing from the police, and narcotics, FOX2 reported. Now he’s been charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a revoked license, and obstructing police. He’s being held on a $275,000 bond.
