Early Sunday morning mayhem unfolded on I-696 as two drivers, both suspected of being under the influence, collided in a head-on crash. The incident, which took place near Dequindre Road in Madison Heights, involved a Chrysler 300 driving the wrong way and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Michigan State Police reported.

Dispatchers were flooded with calls around 4:30 a.m. about a driver heading east in the freeway’s westbound lanes. Soon after, the crash was reported, according to The Oakland Press. The Chrysler's driver, a 40-year-old Eastpointe man, and the Jeep's driver, a 52-year-old man from Indiana, were both injured and taken to hospitals where blood was drawn for testing.

As per officials, the Eastpointe man had been traveling in the wrong direction before striking the Jeep. First Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police highlighted the issue of impaired driving. "Two drivers, both showing signs of impairment, were involved in this crash,” Shaw said, as per The Detroit News. Over the past weekend, troopers had arrested 13 impaired drivers in the district.

 Michigan State Police's Lt. Shaw also took to social media to express the avoidability of such incidents, stating, "There are so many options available to avoid getting behind the wheel impaired," Shaw said, as per WWJ 950. The results, from the blood tests are still pending and will be submitted to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office once finalized. No names have been released pending the investigation.

No other injuries were reported in the incident, which stands as a stark reminder of the dangers of driving while impaired, and the lives that hang in the balance with such choices. The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement agencies continue to urge the public to consider the alternatives to impaired driving, of which there are many. The blood test results will be crucial in determining the next steps in this case.