A 37-year-old Clare County man is dead after his car left the roadway on M-66 in Fork Township and came to rest in a cornfield, and Mecosta County Sheriff's deputies say they still don't know what caused the crash. Deputies responded around 4:54 p.m. Sunday to 30th Avenue and Evergreen Road, where they found the driver unresponsive inside a white Chevrolet Impala. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to WPBN/WGTU, the man was driving north on 30th Avenue, also known as M-66, when his vehicle left the right side of the road, traveled down an embankment, passed through a wooded area, and stopped in a cornfield on the east side of the road. Separately, WZZM 13 reported that the sheriff's office responded around 5 p.m. Sunday to the scene at 30th Avenue and Evergreen Road in Fork Township.
No Witnesses Found Despite a Nearly Two-Hour Window
Deputies could not locate anyone at the scene who had witnessed the vehicle leave the roadway, and the cause of the crash remains unknown and under investigation, per the station's report. Investigators believe potential witnesses may have traveled through the area between 3 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. Sunday, and deputies are asking anyone who was in the vicinity to contact Deputy Disu at 231-592-0150.
The crash site sits near the far northeast edge of Mecosta County, where Fork Township — a rural civil township of about 35 square miles and roughly 1,600 residents — borders Clare County, with M-66 serving as the area's main north-south route. The Michigan Department of Transportation identifies M-66 as a Michigan state highway.
Crash Investigation Continues
Deputies are asking the public for information about what happened before the vehicle was found at 4:54 p.m.
The Mecosta County Sheriff's Office is investigating Sunday's fatal crash and seeking information from potential witnesses.
Crash Circumstances Remain Under Investigation
Sunday's crash was a single-vehicle run-off-road collision. Such collisions are often tied to factors like driver distraction, a medical episode, swerving for animals, or a sudden roadway drop-off, though no specific cause has been identified in Sunday's crash.
The sheriff's office said the driver was not wearing a seat belt.
For now, the cause of Sunday's fatal crash in Fork Township remains unresolved, and investigators are counting on the public to help close the gap.
