CASNOVIA, Mich. — The Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office says four people are dead and five others hurt, after a traffic accident that happened on Friday morning.
The crash occurred at around 6:30 a.m. near the round-about of Apple Ave (M-46) and Newaygo Road (M-37) in Casnovia Township. Apple Ave was shut down for more than 3 hours for the investigation.
Muskegon County Undersheriff Dan Stout says weather was likely a factor in the crash. He says it began with one vehicle spinning out. The occupants of that vehicle then witnessed an SUV also losing control.
That SUV who had six women in it then spun sideways and it was hit by a pick-up truck traveling the other way.
The victims have been identified as 35-Year-Old Erika Ceja, 45-year-old Angelica Magana-Ceja, 35-year-old Teresa Alvarez and 23-year-old Jessica Magana, all from Newaygo.
The two other women in the SUV and the three men in the pick-up were taken a hospital in Grand Rapids.
Stout says shortly after the accident, there was an off duty Grand Rapids detective and two nurses who were driving by and stopped to help before first responders arrived.
GRPD says the detective was a 17 year veteran on his way to drop off his children at school and then head to work. They say he helped organize rescue efforts, including doing CPR along with the others who stopped to help.
Stout is calling them heroes. “They’ve taken what their purpose in life is and they put it to good use. They don’t ask to be heroes but they are you know, they’ll do the right thing at the right time and that’s what these people did.”
Stout says the investigation will take days if not weeks to finish.
