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70-Year-Old Woman Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On M-53

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Police are investigating a fatal accident in northern Macomb County that was apparently caused by a senior citizen who was driving the wrong direction.

The accident happened around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday on northbound M-53 near 31 Mile Road in Washington Township.

Police say 70-year-old Maria Pierce, of Shelby Township, was driving a 1993 Lincoln Town Car southbound in the northbound lanes when she collided head-on with a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze.

Pierce was killed in the crash. The other driver, a 52-year-old Port Austin man, had to be extricated from his vehicle. He was taken to Henry Ford Hospital in Macomb in critical condition, and then transferred to Henry Ford Main in Detroit.

Police say alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation. Pierce and the other driver were both wearing seat belts, police added.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call the Macomb County Sheriff's Office at 586-307-9412.

M-53 was closed to traffic as police investigated the scene, but was reopened to traffic around 5 a.m.

For the latest from the roads, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather on the 8s, 24-hours a day. Check for recent incidents now on the CBS Detroit Traffic Page.

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