INDEPENDENCE TWP. – A 13-year-old Orion Township girl has died from her injuries after a snowmobile collision on Tuesday, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said.

The accident happened shortly after 4 p.m. Nov. 12 in the area of Whipple Lake Road and N. Eston Road in Independence Township, according to the sheriff’s office incident report.

The girl, who attended Lake Orion schools, was riding as a passenger on a 2004 Polaris 550 snowmobile driven by an Orion Township boy, also 13-years-old.

The OCSO Crash Reconstruction Unit determined that a 55-year-old Independence Township man, who is the boy’s father, was driving a 2004 Polaris 550 snowmobile northbound on N. Eston Road and began slowing or stopping on the side of the road when his son, who had been following behind, failed to stop and struck the man’s snowmobile.

The impact caused the girl to be thrown from the snowmobile.

A bystander administered CPR to the girl, who was not breathing but had a pulse, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies from the Independence Township sheriff’s office and the Independence Township Fire Department responded to the scene, with firefighters transporting the teens to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital.

The girl succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

“We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of one of our students. Our heartfelt condolences go to the family and friends,” said Lake Orion Community Schools Superintendent Marion Ginopolis in a statement.

The boy is listed in stable condition. His father was not injured in the crash.

Authorities did not release the names of the individuals involed in the accident.

Neither alcohol or drugs appear to be a factor in the crash and all riders were wearing helmets, the sheriff’s office reported.

Deputies assigned as school resource officers for the Lake Orion school district have been notified and are working with school administrators regarding the notification and counseling of Lake Orion students, the sheriff’s office report stated.

Lake Orion Community Schools will have counselors available for students at all three middle schools on Thursday, confirmed district Communications & Marketing Director Mark Snyder.

– By Jim Newell, lakeorionreview@gmail.com