Teen Wraps SUV Around Tree, Survives Accident with Broken Nose

A 17-year-old Oakland Township resident is recovering from injuries he suffered early Tuesday after hitting a tree with his sport utility vehicle near Mead and Little Pine roads, according to a sheriff's office report.

The 2003 Ford Escape he was driving is totaled; gnarled pieces of metal and broken glass made the vehicle almost unrecognizable, and at least one deputy at the Oakland Township Substation said he had a hard time believing the driver had survived the crash at all.

"His nose was broken in several places," Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Terry Cashman said. "I thought he was dead" after seeing the pictures of the vehicle, he added.

The driver was transported to Crittenton Hospital in Rochester and then to POH Regional Medical Center in Pontiac for treatment; he was released the same day.

The incident occurred when the teen lost control of the vehicle as he was driving westbound on Mead Road. The vehicle "ran off the roadway, colliding with the road edge (berm), causing the vehicle to flip over and make contact with a tree," according to the crash report. The vehicle came to a stop upside down in the ditch.

The driver was likely traveling at a high rate of speed, as evidenced by the severity of damage to the vehicle, Cashman said. The teen driver was ticketed for failure to use due care and caution*, said Substation Commander Sgt. Anthony Spencer.

*The driver was ticketed for failure to use due care and caution, not careless driving.