Haley Bennett (left) and her wife, Faith Caruana-Bennett, pose together on their wedding day.
By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — Police have arrested a 31-year-old Taylor resident in connection to a vehicle crash Jan. 1 on Ford Road and John Daly that left a Westland woman dead.
Faith Caruana-Bennett, 24, and her wife, Haley Bennett, were traveling west on Ford Road about midnight when they were struck.
A white Ford Econoline van, driven by the Taylor man, was traveling east on Ford Road when it crossed the center lane and struck two vehicles traveling west. He then fled the location on foot.
According to police, Caruana-Bennett was badly injured and transported to Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn, where she died Jan. 3 as a result of her injuries.
Through their investigation, the Dearborn Heights Police Traffic Bureau, Detective Bureau and Directed Patrol Unit identified the Taylor resident as the driver at the time of the crash.
He was taken into custody Jan. 6 by members of the Traffic Bureau and Directed Patrol Unit in Taylor. The man was arraigned in 20th District Court and is being held on a $500,000 bond. The resident’s identification was not provided by police.
Anyone with further information on the crash can contact Sgt. Jordan Dottor at 313-277-7391 or [email protected]
A GoFundMe page was started by Bennett’s father, Mark Bennett, to cover future bills for the couple, before Caruana-Bennett died. As of Jan. 14, the fundraiser raised $18,666 of its $20,000 goal.
Haley Bennett suffered cuts and bruises, but Caruana-Bennett was in critical condition with broken bones, a head injury, collapsed lung and leg amputation prior to her death.
The page said that the couple was recently married, moved into a new house and suffered loss of employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caruana-Bennett was an organ donor, according to the GoFundMe page.
To donate go to www.gofundme.com/f/28o1m1zelc.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])