Driver sues Oosterhouse brothers over 2014 crash

Dec. 15--TRAVERSE CITY -- A wintry rear-end crash two years ago could uncork civil trouble for Carter and Todd Oosterhouse.

A personal injury complaint filed last week in 13th Circuit Court against the Oosterhouses seeks more than $25,000 in damages for Leslie Werner, a Charlevoix County resident. Werner claimed she suffered injuries after a pickup truck driven by Todd Oosterhouse in 2014 collided with her vehicle along West River Road in Grand Traverse County.

Carter Oosterhouse, a television personality, owned the pickup truck his brother and Bonobo Winery co-owner Todd Oosterhouse drove that day.

Todd Oosterhouse said he learned about the lawsuit from his insurance company. He said Werner's attorneys at Dingeman & Dancer, a Traverse City-based law firm, didn't contact him before they filed the complaint.

"I haven't seen anything, so I don't know exactly what the suit is for," he said.

The complaint accuses Todd Oosterhouse of auto negligence in the Jan. 7, 2014 crash that caused Werner to suffer back injuries, nerve pain and other problems. Carter Oosterhouse is also liable for Werner's injuries under state law, according to the complaint.

A crash report notes the road was "snowy" when the incident occurred. Both vehicles were headed south on River Road when Werner slowed to make a left turn into a private drive. Oosterhouse tried to stop but lost control and rear-ended Werner's vehicle, according to the report.

Todd Oosterhouse said he drove Carter's black GMC truck that morning. He said a snowfall made the roads slick before he ran into the back of Werner's red Kia. Werner didn't ask to go to a doctor or mention any pain or injury, he said.

"She seemed fine," Oosterhouse said.

A Grand Traverse County sheriff's deputy responded to the crash and gave Oosterhouse a ticket. The deputy entered a code for "no indication of injury" for both Werner and Oosterhouse on the report, which also ranked the damage to both vehicles as "2" out of a seven-point scale.

The complaint lists Mark Dancer, George Powell and Ashley Wilson as Werner's attorneys. They didn't return calls for comment.

Todd Oosterhouse said he hasn't been in touch with an attorney.

"It's just a simple car accident," he said. "It's unfortunate it's at this point."

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