A 27-year-old Sanford man has died days after his car rear-ended a Midland Public Schools bus on East Isabella Road, leaving behind a wife, two young sons, and a family now grappling with sudden, catastrophic loss. Dallan Sweebe suffered multiple skull and facial fractures and brain bleeds in the crash and died Tuesday at University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, according to seed facts drawn from his family's account.
The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. Monday on East Isabella Road (M-20) just east of North Homer Road in Homer Township, according to Midland Scanner News. The stretch of M-20 serves as a major east-west commuter corridor between Midland and Mount Pleasant. Per a sheriff's report cited by the Huron Daily Tribune, Sweebe was driving a 2024 Toyota Corolla westbound when his vehicle rear-ended a 2026 International school bus that was out on its morning route before school.
The bus was carrying students from Jefferson Middle School and Dow High School at the time, and was driven by a 73-year-old Saginaw man, the Tribune reported. Bus passengers reported only minor injuries and declined evaluation and treatment at the scene. Sweebe was transported by EMS to MyMichigan Medical Center Midland with serious, life-threatening injuries before being flown to University of Michigan Medical Center, where he died the following day.
A Father Running Late for Work
According to the Tribune's reporting, a family member named Dawn said Sweebe was headed to work about an hour later than his normal start time. He worked at Bucks Run Golf Course in Mount Pleasant and had two job interviews planned for later that day, intending to leave work early to make them. Dawn described Sweebe as an amazing daddy, saying his family was his whole world.
Sweebe had an 18-month-old son and a 5-year-old son, and had planned to play Fortnite with them that evening, per the same account. His wife, Kassidi Sweebe, works a couple of nights a week at Sanford Bar and Grill. The family reportedly had just $3 in their bank account at the time of the crash, according to the Tribune's report.
District Confirms Students Transported Safely
Midland Public Schools confirmed that all students aboard the bus were safely transported to their secondary schools after paramedics verified no serious injuries at the scene, per Midland Public Schools. The district expressed condolences to Sweebe's family, friends and others who cared for him, according to the Tribune.
The Midland County Sheriff's Office received assistance at the scene from the Homer Township Fire Department, MyMichigan EMS, the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit, the Midland County Road Commission, and Cole's Wrecker Service, the Tribune reported. Toxicology results are pending to determine whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, and investigators will submit a final report to the Midland County Prosecutor's Office for review once the investigation is complete.
What Michigan Law Says About Rear-End Crashes
Under Michigan Vehicle Code MCL 257.402, a driver who strikes the rear of another vehicle lawfully traveling or stopped on a roadway is legally presumed to be prima facie negligent, a rebuttable presumption with examples of rebuttal including a sudden, unforeseeable stop or a vehicle cutting in, according to Koussan Law. Separately, Michigan's assured clear distance ahead statute, MCL 257.627(1), requires drivers to operate at a speed that allows them to stop safely within the clear space ahead; violations are treated as civil infractions carrying two driving record points, per the Michigan Criminal Lawyer Blog.
Separate statutes also govern driver conduct around active school buses. Michigan statute MCL 257.682 requires motorists approaching or trailing a bus displaying alternating red flashing lights to stop at least 20 feet away until the signals stop or the bus moves, with violations carrying civil fines up to $500, according to the Michigan State Police. It is not stated whether the bus's flashing lights were active at the time of Monday's crash.
A Corridor With a Troubled History
A fatal crash involving a school bus has also occurred in Homer Township. Statewide, school bus involvement in traffic crashes totaled 988 incidents in 2023, down from 1,041 the year before and below pre-pandemic annual averages exceeding 1,000, according to Michigan State Police statistics compiled by the Lee Steinberg Law Firm.
Family Plans Organ Donation, Seeks Support
Sweebe's family confirmed he will be an organ donor. A single deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives through organ transplants and restore health for up to 75 people through tissue donation, according to Gift of Life Michigan. More than 214,000 Michigan residents registered as organ donors in 2025, bringing the statewide registry past 4.7 million adults, per the Michigan Department of State.
Donations can be dropped off at Pat's Gradall, 820 Jefferson Avenue in Midland, or at Meridian Church of God, 2130 N. Meridian Rd., Sanford, MI 48657, per the Tribune's reporting. A GiveSendGo fundraiser has also been established to help Kassidi Sweebe and her two sons as they navigate the aftermath of the crash.
