A 77-year-old woman is dead after a two-vehicle crash in Mason Township, just miles from the Indiana border. Elsie Levan was killed around 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of Mason Street and Calvin Center Road in Cass County, according to sheriff's deputies.
Levan was driving a Nissan Rogue east on Mason Street when she stopped at the intersection, according to WWMT. She then failed to yield the right of way and pulled into the path of a southbound Toyota Highlander, as reported by MLive. Levan was pronounced dead at the scene, per WOODTV.
Conflicting Accounts of the Collision
Accounts differ on exactly how the two vehicles came together. WOODTV reports that Levan was hit on the driver's side by the southbound SUV, a version echoed by WSBT, which said her vehicle was struck on the driver's side by the southbound vehicle. But ABC57 reported it the other way, stating that Levan's vehicle hit the driver's side of the Toyota Highlander, which it identified as being driven by 38-year-old Andrew Habich.
The station did not report on the current condition of the other driver, and no outlet in this account has confirmed it beyond noting that information had not been released. WWMT, MLive, WOODTV and WSBT reported that both drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, and the condition of the other driver remains unaddressed in available reporting.
No Signs of Impairment, Investigation Continues
Deputies said they do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash. The same account notes that the case remains under investigation by the Cass County Sheriff's Office.
On Oct. 5, 2009, the sheriff's office responded to a personal-injury crash at Calvin Center Road and Calvin Hill Street in nearby Calvin Township, according to the Herald-Palladium. In that crash, 50-year-old Mark Steiner was traveling south on Calvin Center Road when a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Dayna Curry failed to yield while heading east through the intersection and was struck by Steiner's vehicle. Curry and her two passengers were taken to Elkhart General Hospital, while Steiner was taken to Three Rivers Area Hospital, the paper reported, adding that safety belts were worn by everyone involved and that alcohol did not appear to be a factor.
Separately, ABC57 reported a two-vehicle crash at Huntly Road and Lake Shore Drive in Cass County. In that incident, a 76-year-old woman attempting to cross Huntly Road failed to yield to southbound traffic and collided with a vehicle driven by a 63-year-old woman, who was transported to Lakeland Hospital in Niles for her injuries.
Statewide, failure-to-yield and impaired-driving crashes remain a persistent safety concern. Preliminary figures cited by the Michigan State Police show that 39.1 percent of drivers killed in certain crashes were alcohol- and/or drug-impaired. Even so, Michigan's overall roadway fatalities fell to 1,065 in 2025, a 3 percent drop from 1,099 the year before, according to a Michigan State Police news release.
No further details on the Mason Township crash have been released as the Cass County Sheriff's Office continues its investigation.
