A 24-year-old Oxford Township woman was killed around 1:14 a.m. Saturday morning while driving on M-24 just north of Brown Rd. in Orion Township.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s report, Sherry Marie Burke, who was driving a 2005 Ford Focus, crashed into a 1996 Ford Explorer driven by a 17-year-old Lake Orion man. Authorities said one of the vehicles was driving the wrong way.
Although the crash occurred in the northbound lanes, it’s unclear at this time which vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction, according to Undersheriff Mike McCabe.
There are conflicting witness statements as to which vehicle was traveling southbound, McCabe explained.
The Lake Orion man was trapped in his vehicle and had to be extricated by firefighters. He’s listed in serious condition at POH Medical Center.
A 43-year-old Oakland Township woman was also involved in the crash when her 2006 Ford Explorer hit the Lake Orion resident. She was uninjured.
Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash, according to McCabe. The sheriff’s department is awaiting the test results from blood samples drawn from both Burke and the 17-year-old Lake Orion man.
The accident is currently being investigated by the sheriff’s Crash Reconstruction Unit.
Ms. Burke has lived in the Oxford area ever since her parents moved here three years ago from Shelby Township.
The 2000 graduate of Adlai Stevenson High School enjoyed the performing arts and was involved with school productions, like ‘West Side Story? and ‘Peter Pan,? and with a dance group called Satin Starlights. She also traveled with the high school’s drama club to Disney World, Dollywood and Chicago.
Ms. Burke studied drama at Macomb Community College and worked as a clerk for a law firm in Rochester Hills.
Her father, Ronald, said his daughter was ‘very, very loved and will be very, very missed.? Ms. Burke is survived by her parents, Ronald and Stephanie, sibling Brandon; grandmother Pauline and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. A funeral mass took place Dec. 20 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lake Orion.