One person is dead and another injured following a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon in Huron County’s Sebewaing Township.
Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson reports that deputies responded to Sebewaing Road, just west of Gaeth Road shortly after 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20th after receiving reports of a car and garbage truck accident.
Upon arrival, responders found the driver of the truck uninjured and standing outside of his vehicle, with two occupants of a heavily damaged Chevrolet SUV still trapped inside of their vehicle. The two occupants were later identified as a husband and wife from Bay Port. The husband had been driving at the time of the accident.
While Deputy Woodke was able to remove the injured but conscious 80-year-old male driver, he was unable to get the 77-year-old female passenger out due to her being trapped. Sebewaing Ambulance and Fire arrived shortly thereafter, tending to the injured and freeing the SUV passenger. Unfortunately, the Bay Port woman succumbed to her injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman’s husband was taken to Scheurer Hospital by Scheurer Ambulance Service, but was later flown out to an out of county hospital for treatment. The 65-year-old truck driver from Sebewaing reported he wasn’t injured.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the 80-year-old driver may have fallen asleep and drifted into the oncoming path of the eastbound Mack garbage roll off truck. Accident investigators from the Huron County Sheriff’s Office processed the scene, and a MSP Motor Carrier Officer inspected the truck. The roadway was reopened after approximately 4 hours.
The investigation will continue, with an autopsy being scheduled. Other agencies responding and assisting with this accident were the Sebewaing Police, MSP, the Huron County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Huron County Road Commission.
