ZEELAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 5-year-old girl is dead following a multi-vehicle crash in Zeeland Township Friday evening.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened on I-196 at 84th Avenue during a period when eastbound traffic had slowed down to merge into the right lane before a construction zone.
We’re told a 45-year-old Holland man was driving in the left lane in a 2016 Audi at faster speeds than other vehicles when he braked abruptly and shifted into the right lane. Deputies say he collided into the back of a 2020 Ford truck driven by a Texan woman in her 60s. The chain reaction caused the Ford to shove a 2019 Jeep, which was driven by an Iowa man of 48 years, authorities say.
The Audi driver was taken to Zeeland Hospital with minor injuries, but his passenger, a 5-year-old girl, was critically injured in the crash, according to the sheriff’s office. We’re told she was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died.
Deputies say the Ford driver was taken to Zeeland Hospital with minor injuries.
We’re told the eastbound lane on I-196 is closed to traffic while investigations continue.
