KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A motorcyclist died Tuesday after colliding with a hit-and-run driver on Gull Road near Nazareth in Kalamazoo Township.
Kalamazoo Township Police say Azariah Smith was heading east on his motorcycle when a Jeep turned in front of him. The driver left the scene, but police later found the vehicle at her home. No criminal charges have been announced.
Nicole Botiner was at a nearby Speedway when the crash happened and stayed with Smith until paramedics arrived.
Reporter Julie Dunmire asked what made Botiner want to step in and help.
"Who else was going to? I mean.. I was quick to jump out the car and run over there," Botiner said. "I feel really bad for the family."
Smith leaves behind his fiancee of 11 years, Samantha Mccoy, and their three children. Mccoy provided photos and spoke over the phone about the loss of her partner and provider, adding she is not sure how she will pay the rent on her own with him gone.
"He was a great guy," Mccoy said.
"I’m just glad he wasn’t by himself," Mccoy said about the bystanders who tried to help Smith.
'He was a great guy:' Kalamazoo father of three remembered after dying in suspected hit-and-run crash
"A very present father. He was there their whole life. He was not ever absent. This is the longest they’ve ever been away from him in their whole life. My 5-month-old, she doesn’t understand why her dad’s not here," Mccoy said.
While Julie Dunmire was near the crash site on Friday, another crash occurred.
Information on how to help Samantha and her kids can be found here.
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