Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office Investigates Fatal Single-Car Crash

The Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate a single-vehicle car crash that occurred last week and left two people dead.

Last Tuesday, June 18, deputies from the sheriff’s office “were dispatched to the 10000 block of S. Maple City Road in Kasson Township for a report of a single-car accident into a tree,” the department shared in a Facebook post. “Deputies arrived on scene and determined that a 2016 Subaru driven by a 76-year-old Maple City women had been travelling north on Maple City Road, when it crossed the centerline and exited the roadway to the left. The vehicle travelled through a field for an extended distance before crashing head on into a large Maple tree.”

Following the crash, all three occupants of the vehicle – the driver, a 79-year-old male passenger who was riding in the front seat, and an 11-year-old passenger from Illinois, who was in the backseat – were all transported to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City “for treatment of severe injuries.” The 11-year-old was pronounced dead “upon arrival at Munson.” The 79-year passenger has also died, succumbing to his injuries the following day.

According to the sheriff’s office, the accident “remains under investigation” at this time, though neither speed nor alcohol are “believed to be factors in the crash.” The identities of the driver and the passengers have not yet been publicly revealed.