Roadside service technician killed on I-696 is Michigan's 7th workplace death of 2026

A 19-year-old service technician died after he was struck by a passing vehicle while responding to a disabled car on I-696 this week, officials said. 

According to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the man responded to a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of eastbound I-696 near Mound Road in Warren on March 23. After activating his emergency lights and leaving his vehicle to assist the disabled car, officials say a passing vehicle caused another car to swerve onto the shoulder, fatally striking the man. 

MIOSHA reports that the man's death is the seventh workplace death in 2026. 

Earlier this month, a 55-year-old Missouri man died after unloading a vehicle from a car hauler on Gratiot Avenue near 10 Mile Road in Eastpointe. MIOSHA said a vehicle door inadvertently struck the hydraulic control level for the vehicle's upper platform. The upper platform rose, trapping the man, who was the owner of the hauler business. 

There were 45 workplace-related deaths in Michigan investigated by MIOSHA during 2025.