NEAR HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department released the name of the man who was killed in a crash that shut down I-196 in Georgetown Township Tuesday morning.
He was identified as 46-year-old Gregory Jay Folkert, Wyoming, Mich.
The original call came in as a vehicle fire at around 4:40 a.m., and arriving units shut down the highway as soon as they arrived. All traffic was directed onto eastbound M-6.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but Georgetown Township units remained on scene with Ottawa County deputies for some time.
Upon further investigation, police determined the victim, identified as a 46-year-old male, was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. He was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The left lane was eventually opened around 5:20 a.m.
Investigators said they are still trying to figure out why Folkert lost control of his vehicle.
