CALHOUN COUNTY – One person is dead, four others injured following a crash Sunday morning in which the driver struck a tree, State Police police say.
Troopers with Michigan State Police responded to northbound 1-69 near N Drive South for a single vehicle crash in Tekonsha Township around 5:30 a.m. The vehicle was found in the median of the roadway with five people inside. The driver had apparently fallen asleep according to police, sending the car off the road and into a tree located in the median.
State Police say the group was said to be returning from Birmingham, Alabama after attending a church event.
Monday, investigators identified the occupants of the vehicle as follows:
- David Mitchell, 57, of Grand Rapids who suffered serious injuries
- Ruby Richmond, 68, of Grand Rapids who suffered minor injuries
- Ernest Yost, 64, of Grand Rapids who suffered fatal injuries
- Carl Phillips, 46, of Grand Rapids who suffered serious injuries
- Sandy Holts, 47, of Grand Rapids who suffered minor injuries.
State police say Mitchell was driving the vehicle when the crash occurred.
Police credit the wearing of seat belts and airbags with saving the lives of the remaining occupants. The incident remains under investigation.
