2 people hospitalized after vehicle collided with utility pole in Northern Michigan

GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, MI – Two people were injured in an accident after their vehicle struck a power pole and caught fire, Michigan State Police said.

At about 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, police officers were near Cass Road, north of Dendrinos Drive, in Garfield Township when they noticed a damaged utility pole. A vehicle was on its side, with the engine compartment engulfed in flames, police said.

Police and Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s officers extinguished the fire and discovered two people in the vehicle – one of whom was unresponsive.

The driver, a 28-year-old woman from Northport, was responsive, but a passenger, a 35-year-old man from Traverse City, was unresponsive when contacted.

Because the power pole had broken in half and the cables were hanging about two meters above the road, the police were unable to reach the occupants of the vehicle.

Police administered first aid to the driver until he was rescued by the Traverse City Fire Department. The Northport woman was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The man from Traverse City was also taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The police believe that alcohol played a role in the accident. The investigation is ongoing.