At approximately 5:15 PM last night, 28-year-old Ashley Constantine of Muskegon was travelling northbound on US 31 near Lakewood Blvd. when she struck a utility trailer being pulled by a pickup truck in front of her. The truck was driven by 54 year old Michael Bierling of Holland. Constantine stated to Ottawa County Police that she did not see that Bierling had stopped his vehicle because of heavy traffic ahead of him.
Two other drivers on US 31 were also affected by the crash. Sergeant Bewter of the Ottawa County Sheriff Department reports that after Constantine struck the trailer, it detached from Bierling’s truck, rolled over across the highway median, and collided with two cars going southbound on US 31. One car was driven by 21-year-old Trinidad Avalos-Garcia of Holland and the other car was driven by 21-year-old Austin Knape of Spring Lake.
The force of the collision from the two cars caused the trailer to once again roll over the median and finally come to stop on north bound side of the highway. The only person injured in the crash was 21-year-old Spring Lake resident Austin Knape, who suffered minor injuries to his arm and is listed in stable condition at Holland Hospital.
After an investigation as to what happened, Ashley Constantine was cited for failing to stop to insure clear distance. Both sides of US 31 had partial lane closures for a few hours after the crash until the wreckage was cleaned up.
– Caitlyn Burry
