A personal injury crash in front of 3573 20th Street in Hopkins Township a little after noon Friday resulted in the death of a minor female, the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office reports. The caller to Central Dispatch reported that a female had been ejected from the vehicle during the crash and was severely injured.
Firemen and deputies began resuscitation on the victim but were unsuccessful. EMS personnel arrived and tried advanced life support but were also unsuccessful and the victim was declared deceased at the scene.
The initial investigation revealed that the two minor females in the vehicle had taken the older female’s mother’s vehicle to teach the younger female how to drive before she started driver’s education soon.
At some point during their trip, the older female let the younger female take over as the driver. The younger female was travelling south on 20th St. driving too fast for conditions and lost control of the vehicle, which left the roadway and rolled over, partially ejecting the older female causing the fatal injuries.
The younger female driver suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital for observation. Names will not be released since both subjects involved are minors. Both were from the immediate area; neither was using a seatbelt.
At this point in the investigation speed is a factor considering the gravel roadway conditions, officials said. The sheriff’s office would like to remind drivers that rural gravel roadways are in poor condition due to the hot and dry conditions and drivers should travel slower than usual on these roadways. We would suggest 35 miles per hour.
The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the Michigan State Police, the Hopkins Fire Dept. and Wayland Area EMS.
