SHELBYVILLE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – An Otsego man was struck and killed by a semi tractor trailer, while a Battle Creek woman was killed in a separate multi-vehicle accident Thursday along a stretch of US-131 in Allegan County.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s Department says 43-year-old Robert Edward-Lee Crim IV was struck by the northbound semi just before noon near the 124th Avenue exit after he stepped into the traffic lane while working on a broken down vehicle on the shoulder. Crim was pronounced dead at the scene. The semi rolled over.
While traffic was backed up due to that accident, a four-vehicle pileup happened two hours later, about six miles south, near Plainwell, and led to the death of 55-year-old Sharon Renee McSawdy.
The Sheriff’s Department says three vehicles were stopped when a driver of a midsize pickup truck failed to stop for the backed up traffic, causing the crash. McSawdy was in one of the vehicles that was struck. She was severely injured and died on the scene.
A third crash was also reported on US-131, north of 116th Avenue in Martin Township was investigated by Michigan State troopers from the Wayland Post.
That crash involved two semi-tractor trailers and a pick-up truck. The first semi driven by 43-year-old Cameron Smith of Holland had slowed in the traffic backup caused by the earlier crashes. The pickup truck driven by 46-year-old Robert Heffner of Caledonia behind the first semi also slowed down. But a second semi-tractor trailer driven by 45-year-old Christian Harmon of Vermontville apparently didn’t see the pickup slowing down or realize there was a traffic jam ahead, police said, and hit the back of the pickup, which hit the first semi-tractor trailer. The force of the crash sent the pickup and second semi off the road and into a ditch.
All three drivers in this crash were treated by EMS on scene with Heffner going by ambulance to Metro Health Hospital for further treatment.
Northbound US-131 was closed at the Plainwell exit for several hours Thursday afternoon while the accidents were investigated by officers of several jurisdictions.
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