GUN PLAIN TOWNSHIP, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The U.S. postal worker killed in a Gun Plains Township crash Monday has been identified as Martin resident Sheila Gay Rackley, 55, according to Allegan County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Kuhn.
The crash happened just before 12:30 p.m. Jan. 6, 2020, on 10th Street, south of Carrie Avenue in Gun Plains Township.
Investigators found a southbound pick-up truck hit the rear of the postal vehicle as the worker was depositing mail in a mailbox while seated in her vehicle. The force of the crash sent the mail vehicle rolling, and it caught on fire in a roadside ditch.
The pickup’s driver had been wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured, Kuhn said.
Gun Plain Township firefighters immediately closed off a portion of 10th Street to quell the blaze and clear wreckage. As of 4:15 p.m. Monday, crews finished clean-up efforts, and re-opened the road.
In a statement to media about the crash, Kuhn said, “Neither alcohol or drugs were immediately believed to be a factor in the crash; however, toxicology tests will be conducted.”
The case will be forwarded to the Allegan County Prosecutor’s officials after the investigation is complete so they can decide if any charges will be filed. Kuhn indicated that is a possibility, and is not releasing the pick-up truck driver’s name for that reason.
Plainwell public safety officers, Plainwell EMS, Gun Plains Township firefighters, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials assisted at the scene.
