Pothole May Have Been Factor in Crash that Killed Father and Son

A crash Tuesday claimed the life of Pedro Montanez and his 9-year-old son, Steven Timothy. Another son is in critical condition. (Screenshot: WXYZ-TV video)

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Police think a deep pothole may have been a factor in a crash that killed an Oakland County man and his son earlier this week and seriously injured two other children.

Initially, crash investigators with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office thought Pedro Montanez, 36, hit a patch of ice with his 2005 Mazda 3 and spun out of control, striking a Ford Super Duty pickup truck pulling a trailer in the oncoming lane of traffic on Pontiac Trail in Lyon Township, WJBK-TV reports.

Montanez of New Hudson was driving his three children to Kent Lake Elementary school about 8 a.m. Tuesday when the crash occurred, killing him instantly. His 9-year-old son, Steven Timothy, was pronounced dead at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.

Another son, Michael, 10, was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon and his sister, Valencia, 6, was in serious condition, a hospital spokesperson told the Detroit Free Press.

“The investigation is not done, but the pothole could be a contributing factor,” Sgt. Mark Venus, commander of the sheriff’s office Lyon Township substation, told the Free Press. “When the investigation is done they will be able to tell if speed was a factor.”

Oakland County Road Commission spokesman Craig Bryson told WXYZ-TV that potholes along the low-lying stretch of road where the accident occurred have been problematic for years. The pothole was filled with cold patch on Friday, then refilled on Tuesday because the original repair did not hold.

Noting that 20,000 vehicles a day travel the section of Pontiac Trail, located east of Silver Lake Road and west of Martindale, Bryson cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the role potholes play in accidents.

“... We have one crash,” he said. “To jump to the conclusion that potholes are going to caue fatal crashes everywhere they occur, that’s not a logical conclusion.”

Investigators said Montanez and his children were wearing seat belts and the 6-year-old was properly secured in her booster seat. The driver of the pickup, a 25-year-old Farmington Hills, resident, attempted to avoid the collision by driving off the shoulder of the road, police said.

An online fundraiser on GoFundMe had raised $4,135 by mid-afternoon Thursday to help help the family with medical and funeral expenses. The Kent Elementary PTO has established an account at First Merit Bank to help the family. Contributions may be mailed to: Kent Lake Elementary PTO Montanez Family, ℅ Kent Lake Elementary, 30181 Kent Lake Road, South Lyon, MI 48178.