Saline Woman Killed In Hit and Run Crash in Bridgewater Township

A Saline woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Bridgewater Township June 22.

Michigan State Police say they are investigating the crash that claimed the life of Patricia Lou Vitale, a 76-year-old who lived on Lancaster Court in Saline.

Details about the crash are scarce.  Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Sura said Vitale’s Ford Escape was struck by a GMC Sierra on Austin Road near Schelenberger Road around 10:14 p.m. Vitale had just left the home of an Austin Road resident. Witnesses report seeing the tail lights fade as the car went down the driveway before hearing a loud crash, Sura said.

Paramedics from Huron Valley Ambulance transported Vitale to the University of Michigan in critical condition, according to Emergent Health EMS spokesperson Matt Rose. According to her obituary, she died Sunday.

The driver left the scene of the crash, Sura said. Police have a suspect but he’s not in custody at this time, Sura said. Sura also would not reveal whether alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash.

“The matter is still under investigation,” Sura said.

Patricia Vitale (Badour-Saneyfelt) was born in Ypsilanti. In 1n 1951 she moved to Saline when her parents, Basil and Geraldine Badour, bought the Saline General Hospital. She graduated from Saline High School in 1960 and spent her career at the University of Michigan, first in the payroll office and then in the university library. She retired from the College of Engineering Dean’s Office in 1998.

Vitale is survived by daughters Christine (Allen) Johnson of Ann Arbor, Beth (David) Renner of Manchester, and grandchildren Max and Sara Renner. She is also survived by her brother Philip of Scottsdale, Arizona, nieces, nephews, cousins, several dear friends, and Richard Shaneyfelt of Chelsea, former husband and father of her two daughters. Funeral arrangements are pending.

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