Police find vehicle, identify driver in semi-truck crash on I-75

Video shows car veer into semi-truck on interstate in Detroit

DETROIT – Michigan State Police have found the vehicle and identified the driver wanted in connection to a hit-and-run crash Monday morning which left a semi-truck overturned in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in Detroit.

However, no arrests have been made. Police are forwarding a crash investigation report to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review. State police said they found the vehicle thanks to a tip about a car matching the description.

"This vehicle would not have been located without the assistance of the public through both media coverage and social media coverage," state police said in a news release Wednesday.

Once police had the vehicle, they were able to identify the driver.

Semi-truck driver: 'I just didn't want to die in the truck'

When you see the video and aftermath from Monday morning's semi- truck crash on I-75 in Detroit, it's hard to believe Jeffrey Hotchkiss survived. The crash happened in the southbound lanes of I-75 near the I-94 exit.

"I just didn't want to die in the truck. I thought the truck was going to catch on fire," he said.

Hotchkiss is sore, he has bruises all over his body and he's still a bit shaken up after the semi-truck he was driving was cut-off by a white Chevrolet sedan, causing his 18-wheeler to fishtail, hit the concrete median and overturn.

"I was in shock for probably an hour," Hotchkiss said. "I was coherent. I didn't close my eyes because I was just trying to make sure I would make it, and the first thing I asked is 'did I hurt anybody?'"

No one else was hurt, but the driver who clipped Hotchkiss didn't stop. The crash shut down a section of the expressway for several hours and traffic was backed up between Clay Street and Caniff Avenue.

"They left me for dead and shame on him or her," Hotchkiss said. "The vehicle smashed me in the steer tire. That was it. It started fish tailing and I was flopping around. I thought I was in a Transformers movie with the broken glass and the burning rubber. It just happened so fast."

If you know anything, call Trooper Ferguson at the Metro State Police Post at (248) 584-5740 or Metro Dispatch at (313) 237-2450.

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About the Author:

You can watch Kimberly Gill weekdays anchoring Local 4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and streaming live at 10 p.m. on Local 4+. She's an award-winning journalist who finally called Detroit home in 2014. Kim has won Regional Emmy Awards, and was part of the team that won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in 2022.