A 65-year-old Pontiac woman was killed in a rollover accident on I-75 in Springfield Township Sunday.
According to police, Donna Lee, a front-seat passenger in a 1998 Ford Explorer, was ejected when the driver lost control of the SUV after a rear tire blew out.
Investigators said the Explorer, which was headed south on I-75 between Rattalee Lake and Davisburg Road, left the roadway and rolled over about four times before coming to a stop.
‘Because she was ejected from the car, we initially believed (Lee) wasn’t wearing a seatbelt,? said Michigan State Police Trooper Mark Pravato. ‘But subsequent investigation indicates the possibility that she was’right now it’s tough to say whether the seatbelt failed, was used improperly or there were other circumstances.?
Pravato said Lee’s daughter, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries. Two children in the car, age 17 and 4, he said, were treated and released.
The accident, which occurred around 3:40 p.m., closed southbound lanes of the freeway for several hours.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and police do not believe alcohol was a factor.
Michigan State Police, who have jurisdiction over I-75, are handling the investigation. Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies and Springfield Township Fire Department personnel assisted at the scene.