Defect may have caused crash that killed Deputy Grant Whitaker

December 22, 2020

A mechanical defect may have caused the crash that killed Ingham County Sheriff Deputy Grant Whitaker in the early morning of December 7, 2014. He crashed when pursuing a speeder at well over 100 miles per hour. The reason Whitaker lost control was never known for sure, but a Michigan State Police accident investigator surmised there was a series of dips in the road causing loading and unloading of the suspension and a drift toward the right, and when Whitaker turned the steering wheel to keep the vehicle in its lane, it rotated counterclockwise and went out of control. There was no evidence of another car being involved.

Now it has come to light that there was an "incomplete" recall issued by GM on August 3, 2012 for the police cruiser Whitaker was driving. This is from an August 2012 letter from GM to “General Motors Customer” - which for this car would have been the Ingham County Sheriff:

General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2008-2012 model year Chevrolet Impala police vehicles. As a result, GM is conducting a safety recall. We apologize for this inconvenience. However, we are concerned about your safety and continued satisfaction with our products. . .

The front lower control arm may fracture. If this occurs, some tire “squeal” or “chirping” may be heard when turning at low vehicle speeds. Sudden changes could occur in vehicle handling and, particularly at higher speeds, you may not be able to control the vehicle and a crash could occur.

You can see the current status of this recall on the site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Click Recalls at the top, then enter VIN 2G1WS57M991315528. There are three incomplete recalls on this car. This is the critical one:

The car was at Shaheen Chevrolet for service only a few days before the crash, but although the incomplete recall is noted on the service sheet, it did not get taken care of.

John Kelsey, the speeder, is serving 20-45 years in prison after being found guilty of fleeing and eluding resulting in death, the penalty for which is "not more than 15 years" (Section 750.479a(5) of the Michigan Penal Code). Extra years were added because he was a habitual offender, which means having 3 or more previous felony convictions. Kelsey's 3 prior felonies occurred over 13 years earlier. Two were from an arrest in the year 2000, when he was 19. They were for possession of marijuana and fleeing the police. The third was for selling marijuana. That was in 2003, when he was 23. He was 35 at the time of his trial.

As far as we know, the existence of the incomplete recall was unknown at the time of the July 2015 trial. The Ingham County Prosecutor certainly did not reveal it. It was only recently that Kelsey asked his parents to do the research that led to the recall's discovery. He had suspected that the reason for the crash was that something was wrong with the car.

For some history on this case, see my December 2016 story Overkill: Avenging the Death of Deputy Grant Whitaker.

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