WALKER, Mich. — Walker police located one of the drivers they were hoping to talk to following an accident in which a Walker man was struck and killed, then dragged for several miles.
A teen was responsible for hitting the man the first time, and she stopped and got help. However, the car that may have hit Larry Burton a second time and dragged him for several miles has not been located.
Meanwhile, Larry Burton’s family is speaking out about what type of man the 61-year-old was.
“He was a good guy and he meant well and he wanted to do right by people and he loved his kids and grand kids very much. I just want people to remember him as that kind of person,” said Jenny Becker, Larry’s daughter.
Becker said that her father was heavily involved in the church, where he enjoyed playing drums. He also took good care of his wife, Laura, before she passed away.
“She was sick and had a terminal disease and he stood by her side,” said Becker.
After her mom’s death, Jenny said her dad struggled.
“After taking care of someone for years and years and being by their side and now they’re gone, that’s essentially, you know, he felt like it was his purpose and then it was just gone,” Becker said.
Then Friday night, that unthinkable accident happened near the corner of Wilson Avenue and Chesterfield in Walker as Larry crossed Wilson on foot.
He was hit by a 17-year-old girl as she was traveling south on Wilson. It was a dark and rainy night and family members said visibility was low.
To add to the tragedy, however, Larry was bumped in that accident into the Northbound lane where another vehicle hit him. Then, police say he was dragged for several miles.
Police say that vehicle that dragged Larry went down Wilson to Remembrance Road, then turned three miles later where Larry’s body finally came to rest on Johnson Street.
The family said it took several hours to find his body there because it was so far away from the original accident scene.
They are asking anyone with information on what happened to call Walker Police.
“Please come forward and let us know what happened. We need this closure,” said Jenny.
They are also grateful for the teen who stopped for police after she hit Larry. His family said her ability to do the right thing has brought them some comfort during a very difficult time.
“I just want to tell her that, it’s OK,” said Jenny. “Please don’t feel guilty for what happened. It was an accident and thank you for stopping. I commend you for that, and that means a lot to the family and we just want you to know, we appreciate that and please, please do not have guilt for this it’s not your fault.”
Walker Police are still looking for a dark-colored truck that was in the area at the time of the accident. They say the driver may have turned onto Wilson Avenue from Lake Michigan Drive.
They were able to locate a dark-colored SUV with bumper stickers who was also in the area and talked with the driver.
Police haven’t said yet whether they learned any new information regarding the accident from that interview.
The family said they talked to detectives who told them the driver of the SUV was not the person who hit Larry a second time.
If you have any information on why Larry may have been out walking or who the driver of the dark-colored truck might be, you are asked to call the Walker Police Department at 616-791-6887.
