A head-on collision after a driver crossed the center line left three women dead in Lyon Township on Christmas, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
A silver 2004 Ford Taurus was driving west on 8 Mile Road at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when it crossed into the eastbound lanes near Currie Road, striking a maroon 2007 Honda Civic driven by Mary Hammon, 68, of Salem Township.
Hammon and her passengers, Jackie Hammon, 71, and Judith Shedell, 66, both of Salem Township, died on the scene.
The driver of the Taurus, a 31-year-old Livonia resident, was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor and is in stable condition, the sheriff’s office said.
The Salem Township Fire Department, Lyon Fire Department, Michigan State Police and Oakland County Crash Reconstruction Units came to the scene to investigate and contained the wreckage from the crash.
“We were actually in the area when the call came through,” said Salem Township Fire Chief Jim Rachwal, who said his crew arrived within minutes.
After a seven-hour shutdown of the scene and a thorough investigation, 8 Mile Road was re-opened, said Rachwal.
Rachwal said after having the road closed off for that long, snow and ice had accumulated. The Washtenaw County Road Commission came to the area and plowed the road before officials opened the area to traffic.
“The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident and has weather as a possible factor in the crash,” said Rachwal.
“There may have been an ice patch and slush on the road as the driver of the Taurus drove left of center,” said Undersheriff Mike McCabe Wednesday afternoon.
“We did have some challenges with family members arriving who were grief-stricken, and we had a clergy member from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church brought in,” said Rachwal.
Because weather conditions have been poor the past few days, with the snow and ice, the rural, two-lane roads have been known to give motorists trouble, Rachwal said.
McCabe said it would be several weeks before the full investigation is wrapped up and presented to the prosecutor’s office, as is standard procedure when a death occurs.
Alcohol was not a factor in Tuesday’s accident, the sheriff’s office said. An investigation is ongoing.
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