A tragic accident at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes ORV area claimed the life of a 20-year-old Coopersville man on Sunday, per multiple reports. According to FOX 17, the incident, which occurred just before 6 p.m. on Sunday of Labor Day weekend, marks the second fatality of the season at this location. The Oceana County Sheriff's Department is investigating the crash, and details are expected to be released following the holiday. Witnesses at the park expressed their sadness about the loss.
Recounting the aftermath of the collision, park visitor Jack Kampuis described the scene to FOX 17 saying, "Just a ton of DNRs and cops surrounding him. Then they covered him. It was really sad." This deadly crash echoes a similarly tragic event on May 26, when Kadie Price was also killed at the park, both incidents coinciding with holiday weekends.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources told WZZM 13 that the man was driving a Quad Runner that collided with a Can-Am Side-by-Side. The crash occurred in the northwest section of the ORV area, in what the DNR described as the "roaming area," predominantly flat terrain not associated with the drag strip or dunes. Gavin Plume, a survivor of a previous accident at Silver Lake, spoke with WZZM 13 regarding the perils of the dunes, stating, "In the areas where there's no speed limits or no directional area, just to be cautious and look around everywhere you can."
The Oceana County Sheriff, Craig Mast, confirmed to WOODTV that drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the crash. To prevent future tragedies, safety signage was installed at the ORV area's front gate in August. Yet, there are no immediate plans to enact additional regulations. A visitor to the park captured the grim aftermath, showing the quad runner partly buried in sand, surrounded by DNR trucks. Witnesses had been attempting to provide medical assistance when the visitor arrived.
