News
Coopersville woman crashes on U.S. 131 when she swerves to avoid another car
FLOWERFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 25-year-old Coopersville woman was taken to Three Rivers Hospital Thursday for treatment of injuries in a crash that happened when she swerved around another car on U.S. 131. Elizabeth Polk lost control of her car and went into a spin and off the east side of the southbound lanes, striking a guardrail, according to a news release from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office. The two vehicles never collided and the second driver, Jon Goldschmeding, 34, of Schoolcraft, was not injured in the 4:40 p.m. accident. Police said Goldschmeding stopped on Flowerfield road, facing east, before turning into southbound U.S.-131. Polk, southbound on US-131, changed from the right to the left lane and swerved. Both drivers were wearing seat belts, and alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
Consumers Energy worker dies after vehicle hits him in Hillsdale County
JONESVILLE, MI -- A Consumers Energy worker died Friday after a vehicle hit him as he prepared to assess damages caused by a downed tree limb near Jonesville, Michigan State Police reported in a statement. Jeffery Henry Creel, 56, of Reading was behind a Consumers Energy truck on Homer Road near Blackmer Drive in Hillsdale County’s Fayette Township when a 1999 Buick Park Avenue driven by a Jonesville resident hit him, according to the statement. The crash was reported about 7 a.m., according to Consumers. An ambulance took him to Hillsdale Community Health Center. From there, he went by helicopter to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, where he was rushed into emergency surgery and later died, according to the statement. Creel was responding to a report of a downed power line, according to the statement.
2 dead, 5 seriously injured following rollover accident on US-23
Two teenagers are dead and five other people are injured after a rollover accident caused by a suspected hit and run driver on southbound US-23 south of Michigan Avenue just before 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. Joyce Williams, spokeswoman for Huron Valley Ambulance, said two teenagers died at the scene of the accident and five others were transported to local hospitals, including three in unstable or critical condition. A total of five HVA ambulances were either on scene or heading to the area just after 3 p.m., Williams said. Reports from the area of the crash indicated traffic was backed up and at a standstill on both Michigan Avenue and US-23 just after 4 p.m.
Update 3:25 p.m.: Washtenaw County dispatchers said southbound US-23 will be closed down at Michigan Avenue as the Michigan State Police Brighton post and the Pittsfield Township Fire Department respond to the scene. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area.
Update 3:36 p.m.: A second person has died from injuries sustained in the accident, Williams said. Both of the deceased are reportedly children. Their ages and genders were not immediately known. Five other people were transported to local hospitals, Williams said. One person was taken in critical condition to U-M hospital in one ambulance, she said. A person in unstable condition and a person in stable condition were taken to U-M in a separate ambulance, Williams said. Another ambulance took two other people in unstable condition to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Williams said. Information on how the accident happened and how many vehicles were involved was not immediately available.
Update at 4:27 p.m.: Police are investigating the incident as a hit and run and are searching for a silver Honda Odyssey with heavy front end damage. Police said the Odyssey struck the full-size Ford Expedition carrying seven people, causing it to roll several times before coming to rest on its roof in the median. A child was pinned inside the SUV and died, while another died outside of the vehicle, according to Pittsfield Township Fire Department Captain Craig Liggett. Liggett said the Expedition was still in one piece but was torn apart in the wreck. “It’s still in one piece but the contents are every where,” he said. Williams said the deceased were two teenagers, one boy and one girl. One child who was in a car seat was transported in stable condition to U-M Hospital.
Update at 4:37 p.m.: Sgt. Mark Thompson of the Michigan State Police said the Odyssey was moving into the left lane, in a space already occupied by the Expedition. The van sideswiped the SUV, Thompson said. “It moved to the left lane and struck the vehicle that was already in the left lane,” Thompson said, “causing it to lose control.” The Odyssey continued to drive southbound after hitting the Expedition, Thompson said. The vehicle should have heavy damage and a temporary paper license plate in the window, he said. Police are continuing to investigate the collision. Anyone with information on the crash should call the Michigan State Police anonymous tip line at 1-866-638-4847
12:50 a.m.: The vehicle was a white 1999 Ford Expedition, occupied by driver Dawn Siegel and her four children and two step-children, MSP said in news release. According to witness accounts, the Expedition was traveling in the left lane of southbound US-23 when it was “cut off” by another motorist. Siegel attempted to avoid the motorist by swerving onto the median shoulder. She lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over several times. Jordan Siegel, 14, and Ashley Siegel, 12, suffered significant injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene by the Medical Examiner. Dawn Siegel, Chris Siegel, Madison Owens, Erica Fox and Brooklyn Siegel were transported to the University of Michigan Hospital and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for injuries of varying severity. All parties are listed in stable condition, and the family has been notified. The driver of the other vehicle, possibly a Honda Odyssey, was reported as possibly being a female possibly around 40 years old. The suspect vehicle continued southbound on US-23. Anyone with information that could help identify the driver of the suspect vehicle are asked to contact the Michigan State Police - Brighton Post at 810-227-1051.
Three injured in Saturday afternoon accident in Hanover Township
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, MI — The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said one person was seriously injured and two others were hospitalized after a crash just after 2 p.m. Saturday at Hanover and Reynolds roads. Marco Scalas, 41, of Westland, of was flown to the University of Michigan Hospital with serious injuries, a statement from the sheriff's office said. His vehicle ran a stop sign while driving south on Reynolds Road and crashed into a vehicle heading west on Hanover Road, the statement said. Jackson resident Laura Ellis, 42, was driving the vehicle that was hit. She was taken to Allegiance Health with what the sheriff's office said were "non life-threatening injuries." Scalas' passenger, Connie Goudy-Allegeyer 51, from Westland, was also taken to Allegiance with "non life-threatening injuries." The statement said officials continue to investigate. Alcohol was not a factor, and all three who were injured were wearing seat belts.
Motorcyclist dies in crash on eastbound I-94
PORTAGE, MI -- A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on eastbound I-94 at the Portage Road off ramp Monday. Portage Department of Public Safety officers were dispatched to the area at 5:05 p.m. for a van driving erratically, according to a press release. But before they arrived, the van struck a stationary vehicle on the off ramp, which struck a motorcycle. The motorcycle, David Pease, 66 of Kalamazoo, died from the impact. He was wearing a helmet. Police say the driver of the van may have been experiencing a medical crisis. He was transported to the hospital for treatment and is expected to be released. The investigation is ongoing. Police ask anyone with further information to call Portage Department of Public Safety at 269-329-4567.
Northbound U.S. 131 closed near Sand Lake for crash
UPDATE (4:28 p.m.) Montcalm County dispatchers said traffic was moving again through the area, though slowly. Emergency crews remain on scene. The crash involved just one vehicle and only minor injuries were reported. MONTCALM COUNTY, MI-- Police have closed northbound U.S. 131 near Sand Lake after a vehicle crash. The closure is in the area of exit 114, just north of Kent County. It was not immediately clear how many vehicles were involved or whether there were any injuries.
Witness: 1 airlifted from M-66 crash
Details of crash not yet available. WOODLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - At least one person was injured in an automobile crash in Barry County early Sunday evening, a witness told 24 Hour News 8. Alexa Stanton sent us video via ReportIt of Aero Med landing near the scene at M-66 and Jordan Road in Woodland. The crash occurred around 6 p.m. and closed M-66 for quite some time as rescue personnel investigated. No other information is available at this time.
Police still looking for silver Honda Odyssey in Friday's fatal crash on US-23
Michigan State Police investigators continue to search for the driver of the gray or silver Honda Odyssey believed to have caused the rollover crash that killed two children Friday on US-23. Trooper Nolan Pryzbylo said Monday that several tips had been called in reporting gray or silver Odysseys with damage since Friday’s crash, which claimed the lives of Royal Oak siblings Jordan Siegel, 14, and Ashley Siegel, 11. The two children were passengers in a 1999 Ford Expedition driven by their stepmother, Dawn Siegel. Police believe the driver of the Odyssey moved into the lane occupied by the Expedition. Witnesses told police the Odyssey made contact with the Expedition, causing the full-size SUV to roll several times and come to rest in the median. Przybylo said he hadn’t seen a hit-and-run accident of that magnitude before. “The circumstance of the location defined the severity of the crash,” he said of the area of southbound US-23 south of Michigan Avenue, where the crash occurred. “The Expedition is a safe vehicle, but I’m not certain any vehicle is made or prepared to go through what that one went through.
It was an exceptionally violent crash.” Siegel was driving with her four children and two step-children in the full-size SUV when the crash occurred. Przybylo said he's been told two passengers were still in the hospital in serious but stable condition, while three other occupants of the Expedition had been released. The funeral for Ashley and Jordan is schedule for noon Tuesday at the Dorfman Chapel, 30440 West 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, according to the chapel's website. Patch.com in Royal Oak reported the two children were students at Royal Oak Middle School. The school was opened Monday to provide support and assistance to the school’s students, according to the report. The family will then be sitting shiva at the home of Marc and Dawn Siegel, 22843 Brookforest in Novi, following Jewish customs, according to the report. They will receive visitors following the interment Tuesday and from 5-9 p.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday, Patch reported. The full police report on the incident is still not completed, Pryzyblo said. The crash reconstructionist has not been able to confirm that contact was made between the Odyssey and the Expedition, although a witness following the Odyssey reported there was. The Odyssey continued to drive southbound on US-23 following the crash, and Pryzyblo said investigators are doing as much as they can to track the vehicle.
Although a witness directly behind the Odyssey reported there was a temporary license plate in the rear window, Pryzyblo said it was unclear if the paper indicated the van was newly purchased or was given a temporary license plate because police had seized the permanent one. Pryzyblo said there is no easy way to search for temporary plates issued to vehicles through the Michigan Secretary of State’s office. “Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to search that without going to every Honda dealership in Michigan,” he said. He added that the fact that the vehicle was headed south on US-23 meant it could have been an out-of-state vehicle. Pryzyblo said he was heartened by the number of people who'd stopped at the crash to provide help for the occupants of the Expedition. However, he encouraged anyone who witnesses a hit-and-run crash to follow the suspect vehicle — without risking their safety or anyone else’s safety — in order to provide a good description of the vehicle, license plate number or any other relevant information. Without the public’s help, the suspects in hit-and-run cases can often escape prosecution, he said. “Unfortunately, they get away and they never get held accountable for their actions,” he said. “That person needs to be held accountable for their actions.” The driver of the Honda Odyssey has been reported to be a woman in her 40s. Pryzyblo said troopers are following up with the investigation, but encouraged any member of the public with information on the crash to call in tips to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587) or to call the Michigan State Police Brighton Post directly at 810-227-1051.