Billy Putman Opens Up About Loss, Recovery and His Push to Prevent Future Crashes
Billy Putman says the public can play a role in helping prevent future tragedies as he pushes for changes aimed at making Michigan roads safer.
CARO, Michigan - Billy Putman says the crash that killed three members of his family changed his life forever, and now he is pushing for accountability and changes he believes could help prevent future tragedies on Tuscola County roads.
Putman’s parents, Bill and Barb Putman, were killed in the September 2025 crash, along with his sister in law, Megan Putman. Several other family members, including children, survived the collision but suffered serious injuries.
The Putman family became nationally known through the TLC reality television series Meet the Putmans, which followed the lives of their large multigenerational Michigan family.
Authorities said the family was returning home from a football game in Tuscola County when a semi truck driver failed to stop at an intersection and slammed into the family vehicle.
“You never think something like this is going to happen to your family,” Putman said. “One second life is normal and the next second everything changes.”
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According to Putman, several surviving family members suffered traumatic brain injuries, broken bones and severe emotional trauma. Some family members continue dealing with ongoing rehabilitation, therapy and emotional recovery months after the crash.
“There are kids involved in this that will never be the same,” Putman said. “People see the headlines, but they don’t see everything afterward.”
Putman said the grief has affected every part of the family’s life.
“My parents were everything to this family,” he said. “They were the glue that held everybody together.”
In the months following the crash, Putman said he started researching the intersection and broader concerns involving county road safety. He said he worked on ideas and proposals he believed could improve safety conditions and help reduce the chances of similar crashes happening again.
“We came to them with ideas and solutions,” Putman said. “We weren’t just complaining. We were trying to help fix the problem.”
Putman said he became frustrated with what he described as resistance from county leaders and the Tuscola County Road Commission.
“We can’t just keep waiting until another family dies,” he said. “Something has to change.”
Now, Putman is urging residents to pay attention to an upcoming August vote involving the future structure and oversight of the Tuscola County Road Commission.
“This isn’t political for me,” Putman said. “This is personal. I buried my parents and my sister in law.”
The vote coming up in Tuscola County is not a traditional road millage. It is a ballot proposal that would change how the Tuscola County Road Commission is controlled. Right now, road commissioners are elected directly by voters. If the proposal passes in August, the Tuscola County Board of Commissioners would instead appoint the members of the road commission board.
Supporters, including Billy Putman, argue the change would create more accountability and allow county commissioners to replace road commission leadership if residents are unhappy with road safety, communication or decisions. The push gained momentum after the 2025 crash involving the Putman family and broader complaints about dangerous intersections and road conditions in the county.
If the proposal passes, the Tuscola County Board of Commissioners would gain the authority to appoint road commissioners instead of those positions being decided through elections. If it fails, the current elected system stays in place.
Putman said he believes the public deserves accountability and a serious discussion about road safety and leadership moving forward.
“You don’t move on from something like this,” he said. “You just try to learn how to live with it.”
Despite the pain, Putman said the family has leaned heavily on faith and support from the community.
“The support from people has honestly been overwhelming,” he said. “There were complete strangers reaching out to us, praying for us and helping us.”
Court records show the driver resopnsible for the crash later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges connected to the collision and was sentenced to one year in jail.
Putman said while the family continues mourning those they lost, he hopes speaking publicly about the tragedy may help inspire change.
“At the end of the day, if our story can help even one person, then maybe something good can come from all of this,” he said.