Truck hits protesters demanding $15 minimum wage in Flint, Mich.; 8 hospitalized
Several people were injured before dawn Tuesday when a pickup truck collided with a group of protesters calling for higher pay and the right to form unions in Michigan, in what police said appeared to be an accident.
Police Chief Tim Johnson said that he doesn’t believe the crash near a fast-food restaurant in Flint was intentional and that the driver “seemed pretty shaken up” afterward. Johnson initially said four or five people had non-life-threatening injuries, but later said eight were hospitalized.
“We just came from the hospital. Several people were getting released,” Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry told the Associated Press a few hours after the protest. “Three still are being observed.”
Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer was among those participating in the protest. She wasn’t injured, and a post on her Twitter account says she’s “incredibly sad that so many people were hurt.” Whitmer and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, are battling for governor.
The protests are part of an effort to elect pro-union candidates in the November general election. Walkouts are planned in Milwaukee on Wednesday and Chicago on Thursday. (AP)
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