OAK PARK, MI — A 19-year-old man has been charged after a late-night Oak Park crash left one Uber driver dead and a passenger fighting for his life. Police say Tracy Darwin Sutton was behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger that went through a traffic light at the Eight Mile Road and Coolidge Highway intersection and collided with a Buick Envision carrying an Uber driver and passenger.
Investigators say the Buick had the right of way when the crash happened around 11 p.m. on Sept. 17. The impact sent the Uber passenger out of the vehicle and left the driver trapped inside before first responders extricated him from the wreckage.
Police say the Buick had the right of way before the impact
According to investigators, the crash unfolded as the Buick Envision entered the intersection legally. Surveillance video reviewed by police showed the Buick driver had the right of way, officials said.
The collision happened on eastbound Eight Mile Road at Coolidge Highway, a busy stretch that carries a steady flow of traffic through the Oak Park area. Police say Sutton drove through the signal before hitting the Uber vehicle, setting off the chain of injuries that followed.
The force of the wreck was severe enough to eject the 23-year-old passenger from the Buick. When first responders arrived, he was lying in the roadway but was conscious and breathing, police said.
Uber driver later died after being taken to a hospital
Emergency crews transported the Buick driver to a nearby hospital after the crash. Police later said he died from his injuries. His name has not been released.
The passenger, a 23-year-old man, remained in critical condition after the collision. Police have not released any further update on his condition. The driver of the Buick had to be extricated from the vehicle, underscoring how hard the two cars struck one another at the intersection.
Authorities have not said whether any other vehicles were involved. The crash remains one of the most serious traffic cases in the area this month, drawing attention because it involved a rideshare trip during a routine nighttime drive.
Investigators say Sutton was intoxicated and his passenger was not hurt
Police say Sutton was intoxicated when the crash happened. His 18-year-old passenger was not injured, according to investigators.
Oak Park Public Safety Department officers arrested Sutton after the collision. He was charged with operating while intoxicated causing death and operating while intoxicated causing serious injury.
The allegations center on both the claimed impairment and the deadly result. In cases like this, prosecutors often focus on the driver’s condition, the signal phase at the intersection, and any available video evidence, all of which investigators say helped shape their understanding of what happened here.
Judge sets $2 million bond with house arrest and monitoring
Sutton was arraigned on Sept. 20 and given a $2 million bond, court records show. If he is released, he will be placed on house arrest with GPS and alcohol monitoring and will not be allowed to drive.
He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 28. The bond conditions reflect the seriousness of the charges and the court’s concern about both flight risk and public safety while the case moves forward.
No additional court statements were included with the arraignment details. For now, the case moves ahead while investigators and prosecutors continue to work through the facts surrounding the crash.
Second drunk-driving arrest came during crash traffic control nearby
Later that night, around 1 a.m., Berkley police say a second driver struck an unoccupied patrol car while officers were helping direct traffic away from the fatal crash scene. Police said the second driver was believed to be under the influence.
Authorities said the driver had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit and was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. No officers were injured in the incident, and the patrol car was empty at the time.
To highlight the dangers, the Berkley Police Department shared body camera footage from the incident. Public Safety Director Steve Cooper also urged motorists to slow down, avoid impaired driving, cut distractions, buckle up and stay alert for pedestrians and others on the road.
Oak Park officials urge caution after two impairment-related crashes
The back-to-back incidents put an unusual spotlight on impaired driving in and around Oak Park. One crash killed an Uber driver and seriously hurt a passenger, while another struck a police vehicle during the response to the first scene.
Cooper said safe driving depends on constant attention and responsible choices. His warning came as investigators dealt with the deadly intersection crash and the separate patrol car collision that followed later that night.
Police have not said whether the cases are connected beyond the timing and the broader issue of alcohol-impaired driving. For the families affected, however, the consequences were immediate and severe, with one life lost, another hanging in the balance, and a wider reminder of how quickly a bad decision can turn deadly.