An attempt to pass a semi truck on wet, slushy roads have led to a fatality, police said Thursday.
Berrien County authorities report that first responders were dispatched to the area of U.S. 12 and Franklin Street in Bertrand Township just before noon Thursday after an SUV became lodged underneath a semi truck.
Upon arrival, deputies found a semi tractor-trailer laying on it’s side in a ditch with a black Ford SUV vehicle pinned underneath the cab of the semi tractor. Deputies found the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle dead inside. The truck driver suffered no injuries.
According to police, witnesses reported the SUV was headed eastbound on U.S. 12 following another semi-truck, then, after cresting a hill, the SUV pulled out to pass the truck. The SUV lost control and ran off the roadway to the left nearly striking a guardrail.
Witnesses told police the SUV driver gained control of the vehicle, but was then struck head-on by the westbound semi truck. After the collision, the semi pushed the SUV backwards sliding off the roadway into a deep embankment with the semi rolling on its side and coming to rest on top of the SUV.
The deceased individual’s name is being withheld until next of kin can be notified.
The Sheriffs Office was assisted at the scene by the Michigan State Police, Southwest Michigan Community Ambulance Service (SMCAS), Bertrand Township Fire Department, Berrien County Sheriffs Office Crash Unit and the Medical Examiner from Western Michigan School of Medicine in Kalamazoo.
Police said wet and slushy roads appear to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
