Man, teen-ager killed in I-94 crash

NEWS PHOTO • WILLIAM JORDAN
  A patient is loaded onto a University of Michigan Survival Flight helicopter after a two-car crash late Monday on 1-94 in Lima Township west of Ann Arbor that claimed two lives - a Jackson man and Taylor Elizabeth-Blair Calhoun, a 16-year-old junior class president at Huron High School.

Man, teen-ager killed in 1-94 crash

By JOHN BARTON and LIZ COBBS
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

An Ann Arbor teen-ager and a 23-year-old Jackson resident lost their lives in a two-car crash late Monday on 1-94 in Lima Township that remains under investigation by the Michigan State Police.

Taylor Elizabeth-Blair Calhoun, a 16-year-old junior at Huron High School, and Timothy Andrew Kaufman, 23, were killed when their cars collided near Dancer Road about 10:30 p.m., troopers said. Kaufman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to reports.

Calhoun was airlifted by helicopter to University of Michigan Hospital, where a hospital spokeswoman reported she died about 4:45 a.m.

Troopers at the Ypsilanti post, who shut down the expressway for about three hours following the crash and rerouted traffic through Baker Road, said today they were still trying to piece together details of the crash.

Huron High School students mourned the death after hearing the news this morning, school officials said. Taylor was president of the junior class, a cheerleader and involved in other Huron activities.

Support staff from across the school district came to Huron to help stunned students deal with the tragedy. School officials said some students left class but returned later in the morning.

“She was ... considered a school leader,” said Joyce Willis, spokeswoman for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. “Obviously, this had to be a blow to the students and to those who relied on her leadership.”

Troopers are also asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or believe they may have seen the two vehicles involved before the crash to call the Ypsilanti Post at 313-482-1211.

The double-fatality crash brought Washtenaw County’s 1995 traffic death toll to 44. By this same time last year, 22 people had lost their lives on county roadways.