By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
ssoldan@mihomepaper.com
Independence Twp. — A Goodrich man was killed in a multi-car pile up crash on I-75 in Independence Township on March 11.
According to Michigan State Police, the left two lanesa of southbound I-75 was blocked by Oakland County Road Commission near Sashabaw Road, leaving the right lane open and traffic at a stand-still. A 65-year-old driver of a charter bus was in the right lane and failed to stop in assured, clear distance and struck a red Chevrolet Silverado being driven by a 67-year-old Goodrich man. This pushed the Silverado into a Mercedes Benz, which pushed the Mercedes Benz into a Ford F750, and the Ford F750 was pushed into a silver Chevrolet Silverado. The charter bus continued into the side of a truck-tractor trailer, which was parked on the right shoulder.
The Goodrich man was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Mercedes Benz was transported to the hospital with a lower body injury, and no other injuries were reported.
“When driving, it is very important to leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the one in front of you,” said F/Lt. Mike Shaw, MSP. “This includes when waiting in stopped traffic to prevent large chain reaction crashes.”
The freeway was closed for close to six hours for investigation. The investigation remains open pending vehicle inspections and medical examiner reports. Once the investigation is completed, a report will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.
Brandon Fire and Oakland County Sheriff’s Office provided mutual aid, including two ambulances which were sent to assist, but did not transport any victims.