A tragic event unfolded in Birch Run Township over the weekend when a 21-year-old woman died in a catastrophic collision that involved three vehicles, as per the reports acquired from various local news outlets. Last Saturday deputies from the Saginaw County Sheriff's Office were called to the scene at East Birch Run Road and Block Road, where a Nissan Rogue, driven by a 31-year-old woman from Millington, apparently crossed the centerline and initiated a chain reaction of vehicular devastation, first colliding with a Chevrolet Equinox and then striking a Chevrolet Malibu head-on. According to WNEM, alcohol is believed to have played a role in this tragic incident.
As relayed by ABC12, the driver of the Nissan Rogue sustained substantial injuries and was taken to Covenant HealthCare for treatment, the chaos did not end with the crash as the emergency personnel employed hydraulic rescue tools to extricate the injured from the gnarled remains of their vehicles, firefighters from three departments combined efforts in a grim battle against the clock and mangled metal to free the victims; a testament to the severity of the accidents aftermath. The 75-year-old man in the Equinox reported no immediate injuries, a momentary piece of solace in an otherwise harrowing tableau.
Central to the tragedy was Alexis Rietz, the 21-year-old Millington resident who was behind the wheel of the Malibu; tragically, Rietz succumbed to her injuries at Hurley Medical Center after being liberated from the wreckage by responders. According to the Mid-Michigan Now report, two other passengers in her vehicle were also seriously injured and are currently being treated at the same hospital.
