A head-on collision just south of M-24 and Teelin Road Wednesday night resulted in injuries to both drivers, one of which had to be airlifted to a hospital.
An 18-year-old Wisconsin man driving a Geo Prizim was heading northbound in the southbound lanes of M-24 when he collided head-on with a southbound 1998 Honda Civic, driven by a 23-year-old Rochester Hills man.
No drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s report.
According to the sheriff’s report, the Rochester Hills man sustained a broken pelvis and leg. He had to be airlifted by U-M Survival Flight to Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital.
The Wisconsin man may have suffered a broken leg and had to be transported by ambulance to POH Medical Center in Pontiac, the report stated. He was cited by deputies for failure to use due care and caution.
Each driver was trapped in their vehicle when emergency personnel arrived on the scene, according to Oxford Fire Chief Jack LeRoy.
It took firefighters a combined 60 minutes to extricate both drivers from their vehicles, LeRoy said.
The chief noted that if this serious of an accident had occurred 10 years ago – in the days prior to air bags and “crumple zones” – there “probably would have been a double fatality.”
“Crash safety items do pay off,” LeRoy said. “Cars today are much safer.”