Trooper rescues kids amid back-to-back crashes in Alpena
News Photo by Julie Riddle A Michigan State Police trooper climbs off an overturned vehicle after pulling two children and a driver to safety following a crash at an Alpena intersection.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A child is comforted after being pulled from an overturned vehicle following a crash at the intersection of Miller Street and 2nd Avenue today.
News Photo by Julie Riddle The driver of an overturned vehicle peers from her driver seat, waiting to be helped by police, as a child is comforted following a two-vehicle crash at a north Alpena intersection today.
News Photo by Julie Riddle Police and paramedics tend to the scene of a two-vehicle crash in north Alpena today.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A paramedic clears debris from the scene of a two-car crash at Miller Street and 2nd Avenue in Alpena that toppled a vehicle this afternoon. Two children and a driver were rescued from the vehicle, uninjured.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A driver waits for police assistance after a two-vehicle crash near the entrance to the Alpena Walmart parking lot on this afternoon.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A Michigan State Police trooper climbs off an overturned vehicle after pulling two children and a driver to safety following a crash at an Alpena intersection.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A child is comforted after being pulled from an overturned vehicle following a crash at the intersection of Miller Street and 2nd Avenue today.
News Photo by Julie Riddle The driver of an overturned vehicle peers from her driver seat, waiting to be helped by police, as a child is comforted following a two-vehicle crash at a north Alpena intersection today.
News Photo by Julie Riddle Police and paramedics tend to the scene of a two-vehicle crash in north Alpena today.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A paramedic clears debris from the scene of a two-car crash at Miller Street and 2nd Avenue in Alpena that toppled a vehicle this afternoon. Two children and a driver were rescued from the vehicle, uninjured.
News Photo by Julie Riddle A driver waits for police assistance after a two-vehicle crash near the entrance to the Alpena Walmart parking lot on this afternoon.
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ALPENA -- Two small children and an adult driver were rescued uninjured from an overturned sports utility vehicle after a two-vehicle crash at Miller Street and 2nd Avenue in Alpena this afternoon.
No injuries were reported, although the SUV's occupants were checked by paramedics at the scene.
A Michigan State Police trooper climbed through the door of the SUV as it lay on its side -- stabilized with wooden blocks -- and helped first the children and then the driver climb to safety.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash or whether the driver of the second vehicle was checked for injuries.
A bystander, who lives nearby, said the intersection has been the scene of several serious incidents in recent years, including at least one person who was run over by a vehicle.
In February, the Alpena Municipal Council considered changing the light at the intersection -- which is on the same block as All Saints Catholic School -- to a traditional, three-colored stoplight in place of the current blinking yellow light during the school day.
At the time, the intersection had the fourth-highest number of crashes in the city. The council's discussion was tabled.
While police and emergency personnel were still on the scene of that crash, a second two-vehicle crash was reported at the intersection of M-32 and the entrance to the Alpena Walmart.
A driver was shaken but not hurt when his vehicle was stuck by an eastbound vehicle while crossing from the Meijer parking lot to the Walmart parking lot. Airbag deployment cracked his windshield, and the rear bumper was knocked off his vehicle.
The other driver was able to continue driving to a neighboring parking lot with minor vehicle damage.
Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.