72-year-old man killed after multi-vehicle crash in Oakland County

A 72-year-old Springfield Township man was killed Saturday in a two-vehicle crash in Independence Township.

The crash occurred around 1:12 p.m. on Dixie Highway north of the intersection at Deer Lake Road.

Police say James Ziegenfelder was operating a 2022 GMC Acadia and turned left from a business on the east side of Dixie Highway in front of a northbound vehicle. His GMC collided with a 2022 Ford Escape being driven by a 54-year-old Holly woman.

Ziegenfelder was transported to a local hospital by paramedics, where he died from his injuries several hours later.  A front-seat passenger in his vehicle, age 72, is hospitalized in stable condition.

The driver of the Ford Escape was also taken to a hospital, where she was treated for injuries and released.

Neither drug nor alcohol use is suspected in the crash, police said. It remains under investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit.