Macomb freshman killed December in car crash, two others injured

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Macomb freshman Brittany Nowicki was killed in an automobile accident early Dec. 10 on Plumbrook Road in Sterling Heights.

According to published reports, Nowicki had left CMU for holiday break that Wednesday. Nowicki was in a Jeep driven by an 18-year-old Sterling Heights man when the driver of the Jeep attempted to pass another vehicle, and collided with a vehicle moving in the opposite direction.

The 18-year-old driver was soon hospitalized and listed in critical condition, and the 45-year-old woman driving the car hit head on was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Weather conditions may have contributed to the accident.

Nowicki graduated from Dakota High School in 2010 and was a resident of Thorpe Hall. She had planned on studying Spanish and Biology at CMU.

Nowicki’s fourth floor roommates Bridget Caddell and Jenna MacLellan, both freshmen from Walled Lake, said the result of the fatal accident has yet to sink in.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Caddell said.

Both students said they would miss Nowicki’s positive attitude and energy.

“She was a little ball of energy,” MacLellan said. “She had such a strong personality. She was not afraid to say whatever she felt.”

Thorpe Residence Hall Director Ryan Phillips said he didn’t personally know Nowicki, but the death of a resident is always hard to cope with.

“It’s still hard to hear, a passing like that,” he said. “It has an impact on the community.”

Nowicki’s Resident Assistant, Pinconning junior Keaton Hebert shared Phillips’ thoughts.

Hebert said a lot of Thorpe residents would notice Nowicki’s absence.

“Everybody kind of knows each other up here and it makes a difference when someone is gone,” he said.
Though not speaking on behalf of Thorpe Hall, Hebert said he frequently saw her around the hall and at Thorpe Hall programs and events, and was sad when he heard about her death.

“She was always nice,” he said. “Whenever I talked to her, she would always stop and say, ‘Hi.’”

-MyFOX Detroit contributed to this report