I-75 Crash in Otsego County
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By TruckCrash News Desk · Published August 11, 2026
| Date & time | Friday, August 7, 2026; exact time not released |
| Location | Northbound I-75 near Alexander Road, Corwith Township, Otsego County |
| Vehicles | One vehicle, which left the roadway and struck a tree |
| Injuries | 65-year-old driver seriously injured; 30-year-old passenger sustained minor injuries |
| Road impact | No closure reported in initial releases |
| Investigating agency | Michigan State Police |
What Happened
A 65-year-old driver was seriously injured on northbound I-75 in Otsego County after his 30-year-old passenger allegedly grabbed the steering wheel during an argument, sending the vehicle off the freeway and into a tree, according to a report from UpNorthLive (7&4 News) citing the Michigan State Police. The crash happened Friday, August 7, 2026, near Alexander Road in Corwith Township, north of Vanderbilt in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.
According to the state police account reported by the station, the two men were traveling north on I-75 when an argument broke out inside the vehicle. The passenger then took hold of the steering wheel, and the vehicle left the roadway and collided with a tree along the freeway.
The driver sustained serious injuries and the passenger sustained minor injuries, per the report. Both men were taken to a local hospital by Otsego County EMS. After being released from the hospital, the passenger fled on foot, but was apprehended by troopers, the station reported.
The passenger was arrested and faces charges of domestic violence, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, and resisting and obstructing police, according to the report. Michigan State Police said “the investigation is ongoing.”
Reporting: UpNorthLive / 7&4 News, with information from the Michigan State Police.
The Investigation: What Happens Next
Troopers from the Michigan State Police are continuing to investigate, and the charges reported so far are allegations that will be tested in court. In a case like this, investigators typically document the crash scene, interview both occupants and any witnesses who stopped, and prepare reports for the Otsego County Prosecutor’s Office, which handles the criminal case against the arrested passenger. Formal charges can be amended as the investigation develops, and no court dates had been publicly reported as of this writing.
The Legal Picture
Who is considered at fault when a passenger grabs the wheel? Fault in any crash is determined by investigators and, ultimately, the courts — but Michigan law treats interfering with a driver’s control of a moving vehicle as a serious matter, and prosecutors here have reportedly charged the passenger with assault-related offenses.
How are injured drivers covered after a single-vehicle crash? Michigan’s no-fault system generally provides personal injury protection benefits — medical care, wage loss, and replacement services — regardless of how a crash happened. Our guide to Michigan no-fault insurance explains how those benefits work, and our overview of crash settlements covers when a claim against another person may also exist.
Do criminal charges affect an injury claim? Criminal and civil cases proceed separately: the prosecutor pursues charges, while any injury claim is a separate civil matter with its own standards of proof.
Nothing in this article assumes the guilt of the arrested passenger, who is presumed innocent unless convicted. All information comes from the cited reporting and agencies, and the investigation is ongoing.
This Stretch of Road
I-75 through Corwith Township is a rural, high-speed segment of Michigan’s main north–south freeway, carrying heavy traveler and freight traffic between Gaylord and the Mackinac Bridge corridor. Near Alexander Road, the freeway is bordered closely by stands of northern hardwoods and pine — the kind of tree line that leaves little room for recovery when a vehicle leaves the pavement at freeway speed. Run-off-road crashes are among the most common serious crash types on rural interstates in northern Michigan.
If You Saw This Crash
Anyone who witnessed the vehicle leave northbound I-75 near Alexander Road on Friday, August 7, stopped at the scene, or has dashcam footage from that stretch of freeway can contact the Michigan State Police. Witness accounts of what happened inside and outside the vehicle in the seconds before it left the road can be important to both the criminal case and the ongoing crash investigation.
Original reporting: UpNorthLive 7&4 News — Man faces charges after taking steering wheel away from driver and crashing into tree.
About TruckCrash News
TruckCrash News covers Michigan traffic crashes daily so that families, witnesses, and communities have a clear, sourced record of what happened on our roads. Every article is compiled from official releases and credible local reporting, and we attribute every fact to its source. This article is a news report, not legal advice; details may be updated as agencies release new information. If you see an error, contact us and we will correct it promptly.