Driver who fled after crash gets prison
St. Louis man left injured children behind
The driver who left three injured children behind following a traffic crash in Gratiot County a year ago is headed to prison.
Steven Mclean Pullman, 38, of St. Louis pleaded guilty last week to two counts of failure to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury accident and two counts of driving while license revoked causing serious injury, according to Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Shephard.
He was sentenced by 29th Circuit Court Judge Cori Barkman to serve from 18 months to 10 years in prison.
The traffic crash occurred March 20, 2022, just south of St.
Louis in Bethany Township when, according to a Gratiot County Sheriff’s
Office report, Pullman ran a stop sign at the corner of Jackson and State roads and broadsided another vehicle traveling north on State Road.
The driver of the second vehicle, a 32-year-old St. Louis woman, was treated for minor injuries.
Pullman, however, fled the scene on foot leaving three children who were passengers in his vehicle behind with serious injuries.
The youngsters were transported to Mymichigan Medical Center Gratiot in Alma before being transferred to Covenant Hospital in Saginaw for treatment.
All three have since recovered. Pullman was later found by deputies and a K-9 tracking unit a few hours after the crash hiding in a hunting blind in a wooded area about a mile from the scene.
He was also taken to Mymichigan Medical Center for treatment and later transferred to Mymichgian Medical Center in Midland.
After Pullman was released from the hospital no charges were immediately filed pending further investigation.
The process took several months while the prosecutor’s
office waited for toxicology reports, results from a Michigan State Police accident reconstruction team investigation of the crash and the medical condition of the three injured children.
A warrant was issued for Pullman’s arrest in September and he surrendered to police in October while accompanied by his attorney, Topher Goggin of Alma.
He had been free on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond until his court appearance last week.