A Livonia family suffered tragedy twice in a row, first with an ice-fishing catastrophe and then with a deadly car accident 24 hours later.

On Thursday, a 66-year-old Livonia resident fell through the ice while ice fishing with his 15-year-old grandson. The next day, his wife, also 66, perished in a car accident while driving to get his vehicle from the scene. Her death occurred about 24 hours to the minute after her husband, who is in serious condition, plunged into Lake George near Addison in northern Oakland County.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the woman was a backseat passenger on her way to pick up her husband’s vehicle at Lake George when another vehicle crossed the centerline on Rochester Road in Oakland Township, striking the car she was in.

The accident happened Friday at 1:53 p.m. On Thursday around 1:45 p.m., her spouse slipped onto the ice.

“This is an unspeakable tragedy that has befallen this family in a very short period of time,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard stated. “Two terrible and unrelated tragedies occurred within 24 hours of each other. It is difficult to grasp. “We are praying for the family.”

The woman’s husband was fishing with their 15-year-old grandson, who was visiting from Ligonier, Pennsylvania, when the ice broke while digging a hole. Before attempting to help his granddad get out of the water, the child contacted EMS. Then he fell in too.

Neighbors who saw the pair fall approached in a kayak and attempted to help, according to the sheriff’s office, but were unable to remove the grandfather until help arrived.

According to the sheriff’s office, the husband remains in critical condition at a local hospital. The grandchild was treated and released quickly following the incident.

Twenty-four hours later, a 19-year-old Oakland Township man driving a 2011 Ford Edge south on Rochester Road crossed the center line and collided with a northbound 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee head on.

The grandma, who was in the back seat, was pronounced dead at the spot, while paramedics transported the Jeep’s driver and his wife, both 62 years old from Clarkston, to a local hospital. The male was stable, while the wife was in critical condition.

The 19-year-old Ford driver was airlifted to a hospital and is listed in stable condition. Investigators have not established the cause of the crash.

Reference: Livonia woman dies in car crash 24 hours after her husband fell through ice while fishing