OTSEGO LAKE TWP. -- An off-duty Ogemaw County Sheriff's Deputy was killed Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle automobile accident.

Michael Girard, 47, was on his way to a doctor's appointment in Gaylord.

The accident occurred around 8 a.m. Wednesday on Old-27 South near Mancelona Road in Otsego Lake Township, in Otsego County. While the crash remains under investigation, troopers from the Michigan State Police post in Gaylord believe the Chevy Lumina Girard was driving veered off the roadway, striking two trees before landing on its side in the front yard of a nearby home.

Girard was the sole occupant of the car.

Girard was a full-time resident of Frederic but for nine years worked as a deputy and school liason officer with the Ogemaw County Sheriff's Office. Girard was currently on-leave from the department as he worked through physical therapy care, recouperating from injuries he sustained during on the job. He leaves behind a wife and five kids.

An autopsy is expected to be performed later this week. The crash remains under investigation.