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Southfield Family Rescued After SUV Plunges Down 30-Foot Embankment

Police released bodycam video of the technical rescue as investigators focus on whether child restraints were used properly.

Overview

  • The 2015 Ford Explorer left Simmons Avenue near Berg Road and crashed through a metal guardrail, coming to rest about 30 feet below the roadway on Sunday, July 5.
  • Officers broke a rear window to remove the two children while the Southfield Fire Department Technical Rescue Team used the jaws of life and a low-angle rope-haul system to extricate and raise the parents.
  • The 2-year-old suffered a fractured femur and the 4-year-old had a forehead laceration, and both children were treated and later cleared for release from the hospital.
  • The mother remains hospitalized in critical condition and the father is listed as stable, and investigators say alcohol or drugs do not appear to be factors.
  • Police located child safety seats in the vehicle but are still determining whether the children were properly restrained before the crash, a finding that will shape any charges and safety recommendations.