OCEOLA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A car driven by a young man zipped through a stop sign and smashed into another vehicle in Michigan, killing five people including a woman who was returning from a banquet as the state’s probation agent of the year, authorities said Wednesday.
“This should have never happened. People should be paying attention to their speed, to the traffic signals,” Michigan State Police Lt. Mario Gonzales said.
The crash happened late Tuesday in Livingston County’s Oceola Township, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
Investigators said a car driven by Matthew Carrier, 22, failed to stop at a sign and struck a vehicle traveling east on Michigan Highway 59. Gonzales described it as a “T-bone” crash in a rural area.
Two people were killed in one car and three in the other. Three more people were in critical condition, including Carrier and the driver of the other vehicle, Albert Boswell, 39.
The dead included Candice Dunn, 35, who was returning home from a state Corrections Department banquet where she was celebrated as parole/probation agent of the year. Her mother, Linda Hurley, 69, also died. They were in the car driven by Boswell that had the right of way.
“Everyone here is in disbelief and shock. She was beloved by everybody,” Corrections Department spokesman Chris Gautz said of Dunn. “Yesterday was such a high and a celebration of the work she did.”
Speed limits approaching the intersection are 55 mph (88 kph), Sgt. Robert Mossing said.
The crash also killed Justin Henderson, 20, of Fenton, Preston Wetzel, 24, of Fenton and Joseph Tortomasi, 73, of Macomb County.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)