Wayne Memorial High School wrestling coach accused of covering up rollover crash could face charges

Coach accused of telling students to keep crash a secret

WAYNE, Mich. – The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into a rollover crash that injured several Wayne Memorial High School wrestlers.

Three boys on the wrestling team were headed to a meet in Howell on Feb. 8. Their bus was canceled and their coach told the students to get in his car. The vehicle was involved in a rollover crash at the I-96 Howell exit.

Deputies who responded to the scene of the wreck didn’t know the students were in the vehicle because the coaches removed them from the scene of the crash before officers arrived.

“Our guys responded to a rollover crash, non-injury and upon arrival they found an individual who said he was the sole occupant,” Sheriff Mike Murphy said

Wrestlers said their coach told them not to tell anyone about the crash. The boys were told to crawl out of the car and another coach came and put them on a bus to go to the meet. Nobody was taken to a hospital.

Nobody told until the next week, when one of the boys had double vision and a constant splitting headache. He admitted what happened. His mother found out three days after the crash that her son had a concussion.

“It still shocks me,” Vonda Shiggs said.

Her son is still undergoing neurological testing.

“On a personal level, quite frankly, this is disappointing,” Murphy said. “Here you have an adult who is essentially telling these kids to lie or not be forthcoming.”


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