GRAND RAPIDS, MI — One person died and three others were badly hurt in a crash involving several cars on US-131 in Grand Rapids early Wednesday morning. There was a terrible accident just before 6 a.m. involving a van, a pickup truck, and a semi-truck in the northbound lanes of US-131 near the 6th Street overpass, which is north of the I-196 junction.
Michigan State Police (MSP) say that the events started when a broken-down pickup truck was sitting in the middle lane of the highway. While going north, a van crashed into the stalled truck. Soon after, a semi-truck hit the van, setting off a deadly chain of events.
Two people were thrown out of the van by the force of the crash. The awful thing is that the 35-year-old van driver was declared dead at the scene. His passenger and two other people in the van were all seriously hurt. They were quickly taken to nearby hospitals to get care for their serious wounds.
The pickup truck driver was not inside the car when it was hit, so thankfully he or she was not hurt. In the same way, the driver of the semi-truck that was involved in the accident did not get hurt.
At the time of the accident, US-131 southbound traffic was slowed down a lot. Because first responders were on the scene, the highway was reduced to one lane near the Leonard Street exit, which caused major delays. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) told drivers to expect delays in the area because of the traffic jams that went as far south as Hall Street. Around 9:20 a.m., all lanes were finally reopened, which made things less crowded.
After the accident, the Michigan State Police sent a safety message to all cars, emphasizing how important it is to wear seatbelts. In a social media post, MSP said, “Troopers would like to remind drivers to please use seatbelts when in a motor vehicle.” Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened in the crash, so this is a friendly warning.
The names of the people involved in the crash have not been made public yet, but they will likely do so once the families of the dead have been told.
This terrible event is a somber reminder of how dangerous the roads can be, especially early in the morning when vision is low and drivers are likely to be tired. As the busy summer travel season begins, local police are telling all drivers to be extra careful on the highways, especially in places where work is being done on the roads.
Michigan State Police want anyone who knows anything about the crash to come forward while the probe goes on. Also, they are telling all drivers in Michigan to be extra careful on the state’s highways by always wearing seatbelts and following the written speed limits.
A lot of accidents have happened in the Grand Rapids area in the past few months, and this is the most recent one. Even though the number of traffic deaths in the state is slightly lower this year, officials are worried about the rising number of serious injuries. Many of these injuries could have been avoided with simple safety steps.
The community is sad about the death of one person and hopes that those who were hurt will get better. This accident is a terrible reminder of how important it is to stay safe on the roads.
