Three other students seriously injured
I-75, ARENAC COUNTY -- The University of Michigan is mourning the loss of two of their students after a fatal car crash Saturday morning on I-75.
Three other students are fighting for their lives at a Saginaw hospital.
NBC25 went to the scene to find out what happened.
A trip to the Upper Peninsula ends in tragedy.
Michigan State Police say two U of M students are dead, three other students seriously injured after crashing their Subaru on I-75 North in Arenac County.
It happened shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday.
“The witness was very shooken up at the time,” said Trooper Paul Frechette with Michigan State Police.
Police say the female driver and the male front seat passenger were dead when paramedics arrived.
The backseat passengers, two more females and another male were seriously injured and rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw.
One student ID from Michigan State was found, four others from U of M.
All of the victims are from China.
"I’m going to get a hold of the Chinese Consult and go through channels to get the family notified, and the added logistics of contacting people in Ann Arbor, fellow students, so it's going to be a lengthy process," said Trooper Frechette.
Inside the vehicle police found a map to Tahquamenon Falls State Park, attached to that map is hand written directions to nearby hotels.
Michigan State Police say the passengers in the car were planning on spending the day sightseeing.
Now remnants of that trip remain, tennis shoes, backpacks, and shopping bags litter the side of the highway.
Traffic was detoured for three hours while investigators gathered evidence.
“Tire marks, and examination of the vehicle indicates that the vehicle lost control, probably due to driver error and speed, the vehicle lost control and went off the roadway hitting a tree, likely causing the fatalities,” said Trooper Don Dutcher, a Crash Technician with Michigan State Police.
Police say the driver wasn’t paying attention to the road.
“The witness indicated there was erratic driving, and it may lead us to believe that there was a distraction of some sort that caused them to lose control.
Text messaging may be a factor. It’s not known if the victims were wearing their seat belts.
Autopsy results on the two U of M students will be available Sunday.
Watch NBC25 news at 6 and 11 for the latest information.
