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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — A Livonia woman is dead and three others injured following a head-on crash on Rochester Road in Oakland Township Dec. 27.
First responders were called to a vehicle crash on Rochester Road, near Beach Drive, at 1:53 p.m., according to a press release from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
A 19-year-old Oakland Township man was driving a 2011 Ford Edge south on Rochester Road when his vehicle crossed the centerline and hit a northbound 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee head-on, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said it was unclear why the 19-year-old crossed into the other lane.
A 62-year-old Clarkston man was driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee with two passengers — his 62-year-old wife and a 66-year-old woman from Livonia.
The Clarkston man and his wife were taken to the hospital by the Oakland Township Fire Department paramedics. At press time, the man was listed in stable condition, while his wife was listed in critical condition.
The Ford Edge driver was transported to the hospital by Airlift Flight Service and was listed in stable condition at press time.
The Livonia woman, who was in the back seat of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, was pronounced dead at the scene almost 24 hours to the minute after her 66-year-old husband fell through the ice while ice fishing with his grandson on Lake George in Addison Township Dec. 26.
Occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts, according to authorities, who said alcohol does not appear to be a factor.
Investigators believe Mary Lou Levitan, 66, of Livonia, was traveling to pick up her husband’s vehicle when the crash occurred.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy that has befallen this family in a very short time,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a prepared statement Dec. 29. “Two tragic and unrelated incidents happen within 24 hours of each other. It’s hard to wrap your hands around it. Our prayers are with the family.”
Authorities said a quick-acting neighbor and emergency teams from the Sheriff’s Office and Addison Township Fire Department rescued the 66-year-old Livonia man and his grandson from the lake. The 15-year-old grandson, a resident of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, was treated and released after the incident. The grandfather, Scott Christopher Levitan, was removed from life support at a local hospital shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 31, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The two were drilling a hole to go ice fishing when the ice gave way and the grandfather fell into the water. The grandson called 911 and then attempted to help his grandfather out of the water, but the ice broke and he fell into the water too. The neighbor saw the pair fall and quickly grabbed a kayak. He was able to assist the boy out of the water and then grabbed a second kayak to assist the grandfather. The neighbor could not remove the grandfather because the ice kept breaking, but he was able to keep the grandfather’s head above the water until help arrived.
Addison Township firefighters were able to get a line around the grandfather and pull him onto safer ice, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Paramedics then performed CPR and took the grandfather to the hospital.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating the car crash.
