Three die in 6-vehicle crash at Belleville/Ecorse stoplight

At 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, police received word of a six-vehicle collision at the intersection of Belleville and Ecorse roads in Van Buren Township.
Three people died at the scene.
VBT Public Safety Director Gregory Laurain said five vehicles were southbound on Belleville Road and had stopped for the traffic light. A sixth driver didn’t stop and crashed into the vehicle in front of him, starting a chain reaction. The crash caused that stopped vehicle to explode on impact, killing a mother and her 13-year-old son.
Director Laurain identified the driver of the vehicle that didn’t stop as Robert Dulin III, 44, of Canton, who was killed in the crash. His 10-year-old son was in the front seat of the vehicle, but was not injured. The boy was the only person taken to the hospital from the crash.
Director Laurain said the boy was taken to the hospital to be checked out. He was all right physically, but suffering emotionally.
The mother and son who died in the burning car were Naomi Uselman, 39, and Dominick Uselman, 13, both of Canton.
Van Buren Township police and fire crews closed the intersection down for hours for investigation and cleanup.
Director Laurain said the investigation continues as they try to figure out why Dulin didn’t stop. He said they are looking at possible medical issues, mechanical issues, texting, and other things. He said there was no indication that alcohol was involved, but he said results of the autopsy and toxicology tests will be examined.
Director Laurain said the scene of the crash with the tangled cars, with one afire, was traumatic and some of the witnesses were crying.
He said this was the third fatal incident that police, fire, and dispatch workers had worked through in the last three weeks and public safety department employees will go through a stress debriefing Wednesday night, with counsellors present.
Laurain said they had planned to have such a session after the first fatal incident, but then it was put off when the second incident happened. Then the accident occurred and he said the stress debriefing was critical and they were having it right away.