Ypsilanti Man Dies in U.S. 23 Crash

A man died after a collision on northbound U.S. 23 near Owen Road on Monday morning.

Chief Rick Aro said Patrick Lamont Fleming, 21, of Ypsilanti, died after he was driving northbound U.S. 23 and his Oldsmobile crashed into the back of a Chevrolet Suburban around 8 a.m.

Aro said traffic had slowed because of construction and the Suburban was nearly stopped when the Oldsmobile struck it in the rear, glanced off and slid east across the highway and flipped as it left the roadway, coming to rest against the embankment of the north Owen Road exit ramp.

Fleming, the lone occupant in the vehicle, was extricated and transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center, where he died a short time later, Aro said.

Annarbor.com reported Fleming was a University of Michigan-Flint sophomore, who played trumpet in the 370-member U of M marching band.

"He came to us and asked if students who aren't enrolled on the Ann Arbor campus ... could participate," associate band director John Pasquale told Annarbor.com. "... He was a fabulous trumpet player. He made the band, and spent two years with us." 

Aro told Fenton Patch both occupants of the Suburban were uninjured and that occupants of both vehicles were wearing seatbelts.

The case remains under investigation.