A 15-year-old female teen was kille
d early Sunday morning after she was thrown from the back seat of a vehicle she was riding in near the Wayland exit on the U.S.-131 expressway.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s office said the a fatal crash occurred at about 2:40 a.m. in Wayland Township. The vehicle in which she was riding was southbound on US-131 when the driver lost control and began to slide toward the outside ditch next to the highway.
The deceased was identified as Alexis Danielle Brown-Johnson of Grand Rapids.
“The vehicle continued to rotate and slide down the embankment and into a perimeter fence running along the highway. Capt. Chris Kuhn said. “The vehicle then slid into a ditch that runs adjacent to 12th Street and hit the ditch hard enough to cause the vehicle to roll over and end up on its roof on 12th Street.”
Two other passengers, 19-year-old Taliyah Zziwambazza of Kentwood and Bianca Monet Bland, 17, of Grand Rapids, suffered minor injuries. Bland, who was in the back seat and was also not wearing a seat belt, was taken to a hospital. Zziwambazza, who was wearing a seat belt, was in the front seat.
The 20-year-old driver is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and a blood sample from her was obtained and will be sent to the Michigan State Police Lab for toxicology testing. She has been lodged at the Allegan County Correctional Facility awaiting a review of the information by the prosecutor’s office.
Her name and charges, if issued, will be released early next week.
The crash remains under investigation and names will be released once authorities can confirm family notifications have been made.
The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the Gun Lake Tribal Police, Wayland Fire Department, Wayland Area EMS and Plainwell EMS.
15 years old! Where are the parents or parent? Your fault for not being prudent! Shame on all involved in this tragedy. Why have children just to waste them? I don’t get it…..