22-year-old helping friend change tire fatally hit by 80-year-old driver, MI cops say
A 22-year-old man helping change a flat tire was fatally hit by another driver, Michigan authorities said.
The Saginaw man drove to help his friend change a tire Nov. 12 on Interstate 75, according to a Nov. 13 news release from Michigan State Police.
Shortly after 7 p.m., an 80-year-old Bay City man driving a pickup truck hit the two vehicles on the shoulder of the road, as well as the man, who was working in between them, authorities said.
The 22-year-old was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries, troopers said.
The 80-year-old was treated for minor injuries, according to troopers.
The victim was identified as Charles Haller, known by local residents as the vocalist for a rock/metal band, Stars You Can’t See, MLive reported.
“Let us remember the light you brought when you entered the room and your warm sense of humor,” Haller’s bandmates said in a Facebook post.
“You were a friend to many and a brother to us all,” the post read. “May you sing your heart out with the stars and may your memory live on with the music you passionately made.”
Victoria Maria Salas, Haller’s friend, said in a Facebook post that Haller will “be very missed.”
“One of the most genuine, kind hearted and selfless souls I’ve ever come across,” Salas said. “I am so blessed to have ever had a friend like you.”
Authorities said the crash remains under investigation.
Saginaw is about a 100-mile drive northwest from Detroit.
