Crash Brings Down Railroad Crossing Signal in Wixom

WIXOM, Mich. (WJBK) -- The driver of a car sheered off a large railroad crossing sign on Beck Road just north of West Road.

It happened Thursday night. A driver just behind caught the scene on his iPhone.

"It was a sight to see, to say the least. We saw headlights go in the air and then go down. He took out the railroad crossing. There were other cars there. They didn't really know what to do. My first instinct was to rush out," said Donovan Hill.

He is a FOX 2 News intern. The huge sign could easily have crushed any car passing.

"There was a car. It was a close call to one of the cars. They ended up driving off. They were shaken up," Hill explained.

Hill says the driver got out of the car. He was injured and bleeding, but just walked away from the scene.

"Me and another guy that was there that saw the accident ... were trying to flag him down and yell at him, but he wouldn't even listen to us," Hill said.

Rachel Amato was a passenger in Hill's car.

"It was definitely a major accident, and whoever did it, I do believe something had to have been wrong with him because why would you leave if you're injured, as well," she said.

Wixom Police arrived and located the missing driver a short distance away hiding in bushes. He had several facial lacerations and had called a friend to pick him up. A preliminary breath test showed he was intoxicated. Police are awaiting blood tests and are preparing a warrant for drunk driving and leaving the scene of the accident.

The driver was a 33-year-old Novi man.