DETROIT (WWJ) -- Michigan State Police are reminding drivers about the importance of wearing a seatbelt after a serious crash on the Southfield Freeway in Detroit.
According to officials with the MSP Second District, calls began to come in just after 5 a.m. Monday about a three-vehicle crash along northbound M-39 near Joy Road.
A preliminary investigation found that the driver of a had Mazda rear-ended an Audi causing extensive damage, police said, and the Audi was then forced into a Nissan.
MSP said the 25-year-old woman driving the Mazda was found unresponsive at the scene, and was "trapped inside" her car.
The Detroit Fire Department and EMS had to extricate the woman from her vehicle before she was rushed to a hospital for treatment of critical injuries.
MSP noted that the injured driver was not wearing her seatbelt, and that the other drivers involved — who were wearing seatbelts — were not hurt in the crash.
"It is a fact that the use of seatbelts are your best defense against getting hurt in a crash," said MSP First Lt. Mike Shaw, in a statement. "It will keep you behind the wheel and allow all the safety devices to work. Wear your seat belt no matter where you are seated in your car."
All lanes of northbound M-39 were closed at the scene following the crash, but the freeway has since reopened.
The investigation is ongoing.
