Victim identified in fatal accident
ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Icy roads are partially to blame for a two car crash that killed a West Michigan man Friday.
The crash occurred mid-morning at the intersection of 142nd Avenue and 38th Street in Overisel Township, it involved a tractor trailer and a van. The driver of the van was pronounced dead at the scene.
"I heard a loud boom," said Bill Bethany, who lives just down the street from where the crash happened. "I saw this big ball of fire over here."
That ball of fire was a tanker truck that was completely engulfed in flames.
Police say that a burgundy minivan was traveling southbound on 38th Street when it came barreling through the intersection. The roads were covered in snow, the minivan had a stop sign, but witnesses say the driver was going too fast to stop.
The tanker was heading eastbound on 142nd Avenue when the vehicles collided, sending the van crashing into a house and the tanker further down 142nd Avenue where it struck a guardrail and flipped upside down, dumping fertilizer sludge everywhere.
The truck driver was trapped for a moment inside his burning truck, but fortunately made it out alive with only some bumps, bruises and burns on his legs. The man driving the minivan died at the scene.
Bill Bethany says he's seen his fair share of accidents at the intersection, and that today's bad weather made it even more dangerous.
"I was not surprised because I've lived here two years, moved from California." Bethany said he's seen "multiple crashes here at this area."
The victim of the fatal crash has been identified as Jeff Voorhees, a pastor from Drenthe Christian Reformed Church.
Visitation will be Monday from 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Drenthe Christian Reformed Church. A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at the church.
The family is asking that donations be made to the "Jeff Voorhees Family Memorial Fund" through Macatawa Bank instead of sending flowers.
