Police: Drunken Driving Likely Factor In M-59 Crash That Killed 5

HOWELL (WWJ) - Michigan State Police now say drunken driving is believed to be a factor in a horrific crash along M-59 that killed five people and injured three others.

Investigators have conducted a number of interviews and are now looking over physical evidence and awaiting test results before submitting a report to the Livingston County Prosecutor's Office, which will determine charges.

The two-vehicle crash happened Tuesday, May 9, at the intersection of Argentine Rd. and M-59 in Oceola Township, near Howell. One vehicle overturned; the other caught fire, according police.

The conditions of the three people who survived are improving, police said. All three, who were critical for several says, have been upgraded to stable condition. That includes 22-year-old Matthew Carrier, who police say ran a stop sign.

[Driver Blamed For Crash That Killed 5 Had Past DUI, License Suspended]

Visitation for Michigan Parole Agent of the Year, 35-year-old Candice Dunn, and her mother, Linda Hurley, who were killed in the crash began Monday afternoon at Wujek-Calcuterra Funeral Home in Shelby Township. A funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.

Police have identified the other fatal victims as 73-year-old Jerome Tortomasi of Macomb County, who was in a backseat of an SUV with Hurley; and Carrier's other two passengers, 20-year-old Justin Andrew-Humberto Henderson, and 24-year-old Preston Wetzel, both of Fenton.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the MSP Brighton Post at 810-227-1051.