34-year-old victim identified in fiery crash on Lodge Freeway

DETROIT – A 34-year-old man was killed on the Lodge Freeway when a wrong-way driver hit his SUV and caused it to go up in flames.

The accident happened at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, November 29, 2024 in the southbound lanes of the Lodge Freeway near Grand River Avenue in Detroit.

Officials notified his family of the fatal crash involving a Jeep that was traveling north in the southbound lanes when it crashed into his SUV, which caught fire.

Michigan State Police troopers said they tried to get into the SUV, but were unable to as it burst into flames.

They were able to remove the 27-year-old woman from the driver’s seat of the Jeep.

The 27-year-old woman, who officials say was at fault, remains in critical condition and her family was with her at the hospital.

Detroit firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire, but the 34-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no passengers in either car.

It is unclear why the 27-year-old woman driving the Jeep was driving the wrong way on the highway.

“The crash reconstruction expert is on scene investigating the crash,” Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said. “We are trying to determine where the wrong-way driver entered the roadway and where she came from.”

State troopers continue to investigate.