Some of them lifted the white Camaro off the man trapped underneath, while others chased and held the car’s fleeing driver until police arrived.
Mary Miracle stayed on the pavement of Sashabaw Road to comfort the badly injured motorcycle rider.
‘I kept thinking ‘this could be my son,?? she said. ‘I didn’t know his name, but I told him, ‘hang on, hon, help is coming.??
His name was Vincent D’Anna. He was 26’a 1999 Clarkston High School graduate, an off-duty Flint police officer. He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend.
But on August 26, 2007, his motorcycle was struck three times from behind; D’Anna was knocked to the ground, trapped under the car and dragged along Sashabaw Road for 180 feet. He died early the next morning, surrounded by loved ones, at Genesys Hospital.
Miracle, along with those who lifted the car, chased the driver or otherwise helped at the scene of an accident near Sashabaw and Clarkston roads in Independence Township were among those honored Friday at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in Pontiac.
The Sheriff’s Office hosted the awards presentation in conjunction with National Police Week, and said honorees included citizen heroes who have made a difference in their community through heroic acts or deeds.
‘These individuals are being awarded these Citizen Citations for their quick actions’when they observed a man on a motorcycle’being struck and then run over and dragged by a car whose driver was found to be intoxicated and in the country illegally,? said Undersheriff Mike McCabe as he called forward 14 people who witnessed the accident and stopped to help.
The recipients took home a certificate of recognition and also had the opportunity to speak with D’Anna’s mother, siblings and other relatives.
‘I was happy to finally see the family and how they’ve come through this terrible time,? Miracle said. ‘His mother thanked me for staying with her son; I told her I was glad to be there. He had loving people all around him, people who really cared.?
Camille-D’Anna-Leinbach, Vincent D’Anna’s sister, said she and her family felt grateful for those who helped.
‘I felt so much lighter leaving there Friday,? she said. ‘I think I had a sense of closure once the trial ended, but this was a more positive sense of closure.?
It’s been a long time coming, she noted.
‘The day after my brother died, that was one of the most important things to us; finding these people, and thanking them,? she said. ‘The words seem superficial compared to how I feel inside about everything they did. They lifted a car off my brother; Mary Miracle stayed right there and wouldn’t leave him. I don’t think it was any accident she was there.?
Danny Williams, who drove to Pontiac from Dearborn Heights for the ceremony, said he was leaving a concert at DTE and saw the accident as it happened.
‘It was terrible,? he said. ‘To witness something like that, it brings you to a stop and makes you think about how short life can be.?
But, he noted, it also showed him how much is possible.
‘We lifted a car,? he said.
Fred and Kathy Merz, like Miracle, were called to testify at trial; the ceremony Friday brought back some difficult feelings.
‘The emotions start to flow all over again,? said Fred Merz. ‘You try so hard to put it to the back of your mind, but it’s hard. To see someone’s life taken away like that’it was just ungodly.?
Kathy Merz said she and her husband never knew the outcome of the trial.
‘I was glad to see (the defendant) got a lot of time,? she said.
Sheriff Bouchard said he was ‘very proud? of the citizens who did everything they possibly could to help D’Anna.
‘As a law enforcement brother, I’m sad for his family,? Bouchard said. ‘From everything I’ve heard, he was a great officer with a great future ahead of him.?
Like others, Bouchard said he felt the accident didn’t have to happen.
‘I’m very angry at the federal government for never getting a handle on the matter of illegal immigrants,? he said, noting the problem reaches past the issue of funding. ‘It’s a matter of backbone and setting public policy. We have borders and those borders need to be secured.?
Ramon Felix Pineda, now 27, had a blood alcohol level of .16’twice the legal limit’when the accident occurred. He was convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 27-70 years in prison and is currently housed at the Michigan Reformatory in Ionia.