Head-on crash claims life of village man

An employee of the Orion-based Buckhorn Service loads a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck onto a flatbed following a Saturday morning crash that claimed the life of a 56-year-old Oxford Village resident. It happened at the intersection of Seymour Lake and Dunlap roads. Photo by C.J. Carnacchio.

A 56-year-old Oxford Village man was killed in a head-on collision Saturday morning at the intersection of Seymour Lake and Dunlap roads.

Neil Simat was pronounced dead at the scene after the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 he was driving was struck by a 2012 Ford F-250 that had an 18-year-old Oxford Township man behind the wheel.

The driver of the Ford was headed east on Seymour Lake Rd. when he encountered another pickup truck that was stopped in the eastbound lane, waiting to turn left onto Dunlap Rd., according to a statement released by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

“The driver of the Ford did not see the stopped vehicle until he was very close to it,” the statement read.

When interviewed by a deputy at the scene, the driver of the Ford said “the sun was in his eyes and that he couldn’t see well,” according to the sheriff’s report.

“He stated that he had the sun visor pulled down,” the report stated. “He stated that when he peeked under the visor, he noticed a vehicle stopped in his path. He stated that he avoided striking that vehicle by swerving left (into oncoming traffic). He stated that he did not see any oncoming vehicles.”

The Ford and Dodge hit head on.

Simat, who was wearing a seat belt, was removed from his truck by first-responders. CPR was administered, but ultimately he was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:38 a.m.

The driver of the Ford was not injured. There were two passengers in the Ford, an 18-year-old Leonard resident and a 19-year-old Oxford Village resident. According to the report, both sustained minor injuries.

It appears all three of the Ford’s occupants were wearing seat belts.

Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have been a factor in this incident, according to the sheriff’s office. The crash remains under investigation.

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