
A Clarkston man is dead following a Tuesday collision on I-69 in Lapeer County’s Attica Township.
The Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched around 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26, after a reported injury traffic collision on eastbound I-69 near the Winslow Road overpass in Attica.
Investigation determined that 41-year-old Curtis Willis of Clarkston was alone and driving his 2018 GMC Savana van west on I-69 when the vehicle gradually transferred from the westbound lanes and into the grassy median without signs of stability loss. The vehicle eventually entered the eastbound lane of traffic without any apparent response from the driver, with the vehicle being struck broadside by a 2012 GMC Sierra pickup truck.
The van continued travelling southwest, departing the south side of the expressway and rolling multiple times down a steep embankment. The vehicle eventually came to rest on the driver’s side in a wooded area.
Willis was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 71-year-old Kinde man, was not injured and declined treatment at the scene, as did his two passengers.
Due to investigation and vehicle removal, eastbound I-69 was closed for about three hours, reopening just after 5:00 p.m.
The Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Michigan State Police’s Lapeer post, the Department of Natural Resources, Attica Township Fire and Rescue, Imlay City Fire and Rescue, Lapeer County EMS and the Lapeer County Road Commission. The Lapeer County Reconstruction team performed a collision analysis, while the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office will handle the autopsy.
Neither drugs or alcohol are suspected factors in the crash, with the investigation ongoing.