Driver critically injured after crashing into Oakland County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle on M-59

A Waterford Township man was critically injured when he struck a parked Oakland County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle on M-59 early Friday morning, officials said. 

According to the sheriff's office, deputies were investigating an unrelated crash on westbound M-59 between Crooks and Adams roads around 2:30 a.m. Friday, when the unoccupied patrol vehicle was struck by a 2018 Chevrolet Impala, driven by a 27-year-old Waterford Township man. 

Deputies were several yards away from the patrol vehicle when it was struck and were not injured. The sheriff's office says the patrol vehicle's emergency lights were activated at the time of the crash. 

The Waterford Township man was taken to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition, authorities said. 

"I cannot overstate the safety and legal need to follow the law and move over one lane away from any stopped emergency vehicle," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "These crashes are too common and often deadly. Please, pay attention, slow down, and move over." 

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.