By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two separate fatal crashes that occurred Friday.

The first was a 2-vehicle crash that occurred at around 6pm Friday evening in Howell Township, taking the life of a West Michigan man. According to Sheriff Mike Murphy, the 33-year old Zeeland man was headed east on Grand River on his 2000 Harley Davidson motorcoycle when he approached the intersection of Highland Road and was struck by a westbound GMC Canyon pickup truck driven by a 39-year-old resident of White Lake Township in Oakland County. Deputies at the scene say the White Lake man failed to stop at the intersection, whereupon the truck he was driving struck the motorcycle.

The motorcycle rider was pronounced dead at the scene by Livingston County EMS, while the truck driver was not injured. The intersection of Grand River and Highland Road was closed for about three hours after the mishap. Deputies were assisted at the scene by the Howell Fire Dept., Michigan State Police of the Brighton post and Livingston County Ambulance.

The second fatal accident was a one-car crash that took the life of a Redford woman. According to Sheriff Murphy, the 28–year-old driver was westbound on I-96 east of Fowlerville at 11:42pm Friday when the 2008 Honda Accord, going at a high rate of speed, was observed weaving in and out of traffic. The vehicle then went out of control into the freeway median and rolled over several times. The driver, who was the lone occupant of the vehicle, was thrown from the car and was pronounced dead at the scene by Livingston County EMS. 
 
Murphy says drugs and speed both appear to be factors in the second crash. I-96 was closed for about two hours while sheriff’s deputies investigated.  They were assisted at the scene by the Howell Area Fire Department, Livingston County Ambulance, Fowlerville Police, the Fowlerville Fire Department and Department of Homeland Security. 

Both crashes remains under investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Division.