ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — In Thursday night’s deadly accident near Saugatuck on I-196, we saw the dangers of fast-moving traffic not just for those involved in the accident, but those trying to help.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Matt Rogers said that if you are in a wreck on a Michigan highway, you should first try to move your vehicle off the roadway, and sometimes it’s best to stay inside the vehicle with your seat belt on.
“It’s not the best practice to get out of your car and examine your damage to see what kind of damage I got at that point. It’s best for to wait for the police to arrive at that point because if you slid on a patch of ice and lost control of your car, who is to say that next car that’s coming up behind you isn’t going to do the exact same thing,” said Sgt. Rogers.
Sgt. Rogers said that it appears the two victim’s of Thursday night’s crash didn’t stand on the inside of the cable barriers while waiting for police, something he said could have been their fatal mistake.
“So had they been on the other side of the barrier, certainly the outcome could have been different. Unfortunately it was not,” said Sgt. Rogers.
Most importantly, Rogers advises you never turn your back to oncoming traffic because the sooner you see a vehicle heading your way, the more reaction time you’ll have to get to safety.
If you drive passed an accident, Rogers said that slowing down can help save lives.
