Two victims in the series of fatal crashes Thursday on U.S.-131 have been identified. It was reported erroneously earlier that three had died.
Capt. Scott Matice of the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department today reported Robert Edward-Lee Crim, 43, of Otsego, was the man who was repairing a disable vehicle on the expressway when he stepped in front of a semi-truck just north of the Shelbyville (No. 59) exit.
Sharon Renee McSawby, 55, of Battle Creek, was the woman who was killed later that day in a second crash involving vehicles backed up as a result of the first incident.
The three crashes claimed the lives of two people and shut down the freeway between the Martin (No. 55) and Bradley (No. 61) exits.
Allegan County Sheriff’s authorities were reconstructing the accidents all afternoon and into the evening while area fire department personnel were directing traffic off U.S-131 and onto nearby north-south arteries.
Matice said the first crash occurred at about 11:45 a.m. near the 60-mile marker just south of the Gun Lake Casino when Crim was believed to have been working on a broken down vehicle stepped into the lane of traffic and was struck by a semi traveling north on the freeway.
About two hours afterward there was a four-car crash near mile marker 54 just south of Martin, where there was residual traffic backup from the first accident. The driver of a mid-size pickup truck failed to stop for the backed up traffic, causing a crash with three vehicles. McSawby was an occupant of one of the vehicles struck was severely injured and died on scene.
Michigan State Police then investigated a third crash near the on US-131 near the other two accidents. One person in a vehicle was reported perished in that incident, but was unfounded. It was reported that a semi struck the back of a pickup and pushed it forward into another semi.
The northbound lanes from the Plainwell exit (No. 49) to Shelbyville (124th Avenue, No. 59 were shut down for most the afternoon and into the evening.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s Dept. was assisted by Wayland EMS, Wayland Fire, Yankee Springs Fire, Life EMS, Gun Lake Tribal Police and Michigan State Police.
The name of the victim in the third crash has not yet been identified.
COVER PHOTO: This was one of the survivors of the three fatal traffic crashes that occurred Thursday on U.S.-131.