Driver runs red light, killing 74-year-old man, injuring two others

ROCHESTER HILLS — A 74-year-old man from Rochester Hills has died from injuries sustained Sept. 20 after a woman ran a red light and struck a car he was riding in in Rochester Hills, according to police.

The crash occurred at approximately 11:17 a.m. at the intersection of Adams Road and Avon Road, according to reports from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman, 30, of Rochester Hills, was traveling north on Adams approaching Avon when she ran a red light and struck a Honda Accord that was turning left toward southbound Adams and had the right of way.

A 75-year-old man from Rochester Hills who was driving the Honda was immediately transported to a hospital by emergency responders from the Rochester Hills Fire Department, along with a 73-year-old man from Rochester Hills who was riding in the passenger seat of the Honda. Both men were hospitalized and have since been released.

The Sheriff’s Office was recently notified that Suk-Joon Ham, 74, who was in the back seat of the Honda Accord during the crash, passed away in the hospital on Saturday, Sept. 24.

Deputies said it is unknown if any of the occupants of the Honda were wearing seatbelts, but the driver of the Jeep was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash.

Investigators believe the operator of the Jeep was distracted by her cellphone at the time the crash occurred, which remains under investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigations Unit. Deputies do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.