Man dies in head-on collision with semi-truck on John R

DETROIT (WJBK) - A deadly car crash in Detroit when a man driving a Volvo wagon collided head-on with a semi-truck.

Somehow the driver of the semi made it out unharmed - but the driver of that car did not. Police say the victim crossed the center line along John R near Seven Mile in Detroit at about 8 a.m.

Investigators say the driver in the SUV, a 49-year-old man, veered onto the opposite lane, causing the collision with the semi. The truck then went over the SUV, which burst into flames.

"We had an SUV, apparently it veered over to the opposite side of John R," said Detroit Fire Chief Anthony Braceful. "It was heading northbound and obviously he ran into an 18 wheeler head on."

That 49-year-old man died by the time emergency crews arrived.

"The front part portion of it was completely compacted for the most part," Braceful said. "The crews did a great job to release him from the vehicle so he could go to the hospital or going straight to the medical examiner with the vehicle still intact."

After seeing the damage to the front part of the SUV and the semi-truck, it's a miracle anyone survived.

"The driver of the 18 wheeler miraculously looked like he was unscathed physically, but it was disturbing to him although it doesn't appear he was the cause of the accident," Braceful said.

Right now, investigators have not been able to figure out why the victim killed drove onto the wrong side of traffic, causing the crash and his death.