An early morning rollover crash in Ionia County has led to the arrest of a Grand Rapids man, while one passenger has died, and another remains seriously injured. The crash, involving a Ford F-150 pickup truck, occurred on E. Grand River Avenue near Gregory Road in Orange Township around 6:45 a.m. yesterday, according to FOX 17.
Deputies found that the vehicle had rolled at least once after the 27-year-old driver lost control, ultimately landing in a ditch. Of the five men in the truck at the time of the incident, two were severely injured: one succumbed to his injuries at U of M Sparrow in Lansing, while the other was initially taken to U of M Ionia Hospital before being transferred to Sparrow, he is expected to survive, WOOD-TV reported. The other three men did not sustain critical injuries.
The Ionia County Sheriff's Office has indicated that excessive speed and the failure to use seat belts were major factors in the crash, "Struck a ditch, and is believed to have rolled at least once before coming to a stop in the ditch,” deputies explained in a statement detailed by the Lansing State Journal. The driver has since been arrested on a charge of moving violation causing death, with the incident still under investigation.
While authorities have not yet released the name of the deceased, pending family notification, the sheriff's office has clarified that neither alcohol nor drugs were involved in the crash.
