Alcohol and speed are suspected by authorities in an early-morning wrong-way crash on I-96 Wednesday near the 132-mile marker west of W. Highland Road in Howell Township that killed two drivers and sent two passengers to the hospital.
According to a release from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, Livingston County Central Dispatch was advised of a wrong-way driver in a black Audi at 1:47 a.m. by Ingham County Central Dispatch; at 1:53 a.m., Ingham County Central Dispatch advised that the black Audi had entered Livingston County. At approximately 1:57 a.m. the wrong-way driver — a 29-year-old man from Iowa driving a black 2014 Audi A5 east-bound in the west-bound lane of I-96 — hit head-on a west-bound 2011 Buick Regal driven by a 30-year-old Lansing woman who had two female passengers, ages 28 and 4, in the back seat.
The Iowa man was pronounced deceased at the scene by Livingston County EMS. The Lansing woman was transported to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, where she later died; the passengers in her car were admitted to UM Medical Center in stable condition.
Both drivers were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. The 4-year old passenger in the Buick was restrained in a child seat, and it is unknown whether the adult passenger in the rear seat was wearing her seat belt.
I-96 was closed for approximately four hours during the investigation and cleanup. Alcohol and speed to be factors in the crash, which remains under investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were assisted bon scene by Livingston County Ambulance, Howell Area Fire Department, and MDOT.
