More accidents acknowledged in fatal crash

PAW PAW, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The investigation continues into a Saturday morning head-on collision that killed two West Michigan men.

Van Buren County Sheriff's deputies say 37-year-old Keith Rapp of Kalamazoo was driving a Blazer on Red Arrow Highway when he crossed the center line and collided with a Ford Ranger driven by 23-year-old Jeff Haas.

Haas died at the scene, Rapp died Sunday night at the hospital.

But there is some controversy surrounding the incident. Witnesses say a Paw Paw police cruiser that was responding to the crash rear-ended Haas' vehicle, and it's not clear which collision killed Haas.

That second crash was not mentioned in a press release from the Van Buren Co. Sheriff's Department, Newschannel 3 learned about it from witnesses and the victim's family, as we reported on Monday night.

On Tuesday, more information is coming to light.

At the scene of the crash, a mailbox and post have been knocked to the ground, that damage was caused by what investigators are now confirming was the third of four separate accidents that took place early Saturday morning.

The Ford Ranger and Chevy Blazer now sit crumpled inside a tow-yard, but early Saturday morning they were involved in a head-on collision in the middle of Red Arrow Highway, near 30^th Street.

"It was horrible, it was crushed, both front ends were crushed," said Neil Guzman, who was one of the first witnesses on the scene.

A Van Buren County Sheriff's deputy was the first to respond.

"One of the vehicles was on fire when they arrived, and there was quite a bit of smoke, so visibility was not good," said Lt. William Lux of the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department.

The deputy who arrived first avoided the wreck, but the Paw Paw Police cruiser who arrived next swerved and struck the left rear of the Ford Ranger.

"When they hit, they both slid past us," said Zach Gumper, who witnessed the accidents.

Witnesses say the impact sent Jeff Haas' vehicle at least 50 feet down the road.

Haas died at the scene, but his father knew nothing about the second accident until he checked out his son's car.

"It wasn't a 20 mile per hour impact into the back of that Ranger," said Stanley Haas, the victim's father, "they hit him hard, they hit him really hard."

A Lawton Police officer who was responding to the scene took out a mailbox near the scene, and a Paw Paw fire truck scraped its side as it attempted to maneuver around the two cars.

The Sheriff's Department only confirmed the other accidents on Tuesday, and had made no mention of them in Saturday's press release.

"They should have been," said Lt. Lux, "and that's all I can say right now, we're looking into that internally, as to why it wasn't."

The Sheriff's Department plans to forward reports from the initial crash and the second crash involving the Paw Paw cruiser to the prosecutor. He'll then determine any citations or charges to be brought about.