By Matt Mackinder
Clarkston News Editor

INDEPENDENCE TWP. — Around 6 p.m. last Wednesday, a 16-year-old boy fell asleep at the wheel of his Dodge Durango and crashed into a Michigan State Police patrol car that was stopped on the shoulder of I-75 near Sashabaw Road after the officer had made an arrest.
State police said the trooper had arrested a driver for impaired driving and had placed them in the front passenger seat of the patrol car. Investigators say the teen fell asleep at the wheel and drifted onto the right shoulder, crashing into the patrol car and sending the patrol car into the arrestee’s car.
The patrol car was totaled, but the trooper and the arrestee only sustained cuts on their faces. The trooper’s arm might have been broken, said the report.
Both were taken to a local hospital, where the trooper remained as of last Thursday morning for observation.
The boy was not injured and was apprehended for reckless driving and released to his mother, according to reports.
“We are very fortunate that the injuries in this crash were not more serious, or even fatal,” MSP Lt. Mike Shaw said in a statement. “The one message we can take from this crash is to wear your seatbelt when in the car. It will save your life.”
The passenger in the patrol car was processed and lodged at the Oakland County Jail.
Northbound I-75 was closed at Sashabaw on Wednesday night due to the crash but was reopened later that evening.
According to Michigan.gov, Michigan’s seat belt use rate fell slightly in 2023, according to results from a grant-funded direct observation study conducted by Michigan State University.
In 2023, Michigan’s seat belt use rate was 92.4, a decrease of 0.5 percent from the 92.9 percent recorded in 2022.

PHOTO: This Michigan State Police car was totaled last Wednesday evening in a crash on I-75 near Sashabaw Road. Photo: Michigan State Police