Driver Blamed For Crash That Killed 5 Had Past DUI, License Suspended
HOWELL (WWJ) - State records show the driver blamed for a deadly crash along M-59 near Howell has a checkered driving past.
Five people died and three others were critically injured in the two-car collision Tuesday night at Argentine Rd. in Oceola Township. One car overturned; the other caught fire, according to Michigan State Police.
Records provided by the Secretary of State's Office show 22-year-old Matthew Carrier of Fenton, who investigators say ran a stop sign with a blinking yellow light, has an extensive record of driving-related issues, including citations for careless driving, speeding and drunken driving.
A Secretary of State spokesman says Carrier's license was suspended at the time of the crash because of unpaid tickets.
Carrier and one of his passengers, 23-year-old Kyle Eugene Lixie, along with the driver of the second driver, 39-year-old Albert Boswell of Oakland County, remain hospitalized in critical condition.
A spokesperson for SOS told The Detroit Free Press that Boswell, the second driver, "wasn't able to drive legally" because he had an expired license.
His other two passengers, 20-year-old Justin Andrew-Humberto Henderson, and 24-year-old Preston Wetzel, both of Fenton, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Also killed were 35-year-old Oakland County resident Candice Dunn, who'd just been named Michigan Department of Correction Parole-Probation Agent of the Year the night of the crash; her mother, 69-year-old Linda K. Hurley of Macomb County, and 73-year-old Jerome Tortomasi of Macomb County.
No charges have yet been filed.
MSP Lt. Mario Gonzales said authorities are still investigating whether alcohol may have played a role.
"As you can imagine, if you've seen some of the pictures of the crash — pretty horrific," Gonzales told WWJ on Thursday. "So accident investigators are trying to put it back together and trying to make sure they're coming up with all the information that they need for that."
"Reports are still being completed, and once we get everything done with the investigation then we'll present that to the prosecutor," he said, adding that it make take up to a week.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the MSP Brighton Post at 810-227-1051.
