New Year's Day crash kills Fenton woman, injures 5 others on I-96 in Oakland County
(CBS DETROIT) — A 57-year-old Fenton woman was killed and five others were seriously injured in an early-morning crash Wednesday on I-96 in Lyon Township.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened at around 3:09 a.m. on westbound I-96, east of the South Hill Road overpass.
According to deputies, the Fenton woman was a passenger in the backseat of a 2016 Ford Explorer when it rear-ended a 2025 Chevrolet Trax that was reportedly stopped in the second lane with only its hazard lights on. It is unclear why the Trax was stopped.
After hitting the Trax, officials say the Explorer was facing east in the westbound lane when it was struck head-on by a 2018 Jeep Compass.
First responders were able to remove all four occupants of the Explorer before it caught fire following the crash. The Fenton woman died at the scene.
The driver of the Explorer and his 51-year-old wife, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, are hospitalized in serious condition. A rear passenger, an 82-year-old Fenton man who is the husband of the woman killed in the crash, is in critical condition.
The driver of the Compass, a 75-year-old Leslie woman, was also taken to an area hospital, where she is currently listed in critical condition.
The driver of the Trax, a 30-year-old Ypsilanti man, is hospitalized in stable condition. A blood draw of the man was taken, and results are pending.
Investigators say alcohol may be a factor in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
