Two area residents were hospitalized following a single-vehicle crash with an electrical pole on Cass Road early Saturday, which complicated rescue efforts as electrical wires dangled around the crash site.

According to the Michigan State Police, troopers responded at 12:15am Saturday to the accident on Cass Road north of Dendrinos Drive in Garfield Township. An electrical pole was snapped in half at the accident scene, and the vehicle was on its side with the engine compartment engulfed in flames. Troopers and deputies from the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office extinguished the fire and made contact with two occupants in the vehicle. The driver, a 28-year-old Northport woman, was responsive to troopers but the passenger, a 35-year-old Traverse City man, was unresponsive.

Due to the damaged pole and electrical wires hanging approximately six feet off the roadway, troopers were unable to reach the occupants. They gave first aid instructions to the driver until the occupants could be extracted by the Traverse City Fire Department. The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the passenger was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, according to the MSP. The accident remains under investigation. Troopers were assisted by the MSP Gaylord Post, Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office, Traverse City Police Department, Traverse City Fire Department, and Mobile Medical Response.