Wrong-way driver killed in head-on collision in Lapeer Township; alcohol suspected

LAPEER TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Investigators suspect alcohol may be a factor in a deadly head-on crash Thursday night on Bowers Road in Lapeer Township. 

A 43-year-old man was killed when the Ford Escape he was driving crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a minivan head-on about 9:37 p.m. on Bowers Road east of Roods Lake Road, according to the Lapeer County Sheriff's Office. 

The Escape was traveling west on Bowers Road when it crossed the centerline and struck a 2014 Chrysler Towns and Country minivan driven by a 31-year-old woman. The man was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene, the Sheriff's Office said. 

The woman was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

"Roadway and weather conditions were dry when this crash occurred. Preliminary investigation suggest that alcohol may be a contributing factor. Toxicology results remain pending," reads a statement from the Sheriff's Office. 

The roadway was closed for about two hours Thursday night.