Ypsilanti’s mother finds her son seriously injured after colliding with the Washtenaw sheriff’s vehicle

By Stone Andrews On Jun 19, 2021

YPSILANTI, me. – A Washtenaw County mother saw her greatest fears right before her eyes Thursday night.

On her way home from work, she came across a collision between a Washtenaw County sheriff’s vehicle and a motorcycle. The bike belonged to her son and she quickly discovered that he and his girlfriend were seriously injured.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies drove south on Harris Road near Lester Avenue, where they made a U-turn at Grace Fellowship Church.

A photo taken shortly after the accident showed the motorcycle under the patrol car. Neither driver – Derrick Lyttle Jr., 23, and Heather Dunn, 21 – were wearing helmets at the time.

The collision occurred a block from Lyttle’s house and his mother, Carrie Craiger, came on the scene.

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“I saw the back of his bike and said, ‘No, no, no, no,'” recalls Craiger. “I ran out of the car and Heather was screaming and I went over to my son and it was shallow breathing that didn’t look like he was breathing at first.”

Craiger said Dunn suffered broken ankles and chest wounds, and Lyttle was more severely injured with head and neck injuries.

“I yelled at him, ‘Please don’t stop breathing. Do not die. Please don’t stop breathing, ‘”said Craiger.

Rescue workers rushed the couple to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, where Craiger was able to speak to Dunn.

“Heather said they knew it was coming and she just closed her eyes,” said Craiger. “She just knew it was coming. There was nothing they could do. “

Lyttle was operated on overnight.

“He’s still passed out,” said Craiger. “He’s on a breathing tube. He’s on a ventilator and I was just talking to him, they said he could hear me. He had tears from his eyes. “

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The Michigan State Police took over the investigation into the accident. The deputies in the patrol car were not injured.