NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — One person was killed and several others hospitalized following a crash on the highway near New Buffalo on Thanksgiving.
It happened around 7:15 p.m. Thursday on eastbound I-94 near Maudlin Road in New Buffalo Township. Officials said roads made slick by rain and ice were a contributing factor.
The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office says the driver of a Ford Escape lost control, causing the SUV to hit the guardrail and then come to a stop. A rear seat passenger got out of the SUV to help the front seat passenger.
A second vehicle, a Buick Lucerne, then spun out and crashed into the Escape. The rear passenger who was outside the SUV became pinned between both vehicles and ultimately died.
Her name and age were not immediately released pending notification of family.
The driver of the Escape was thrown from the SUV and became trapped beneath it. He and the front seat passenger were taken to a hospital in South Bend, Indiana, with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
The driver of the Buick was taken first to a Spectrum Health Lakeland in the St. Joseph area and then airlifted to a Grand Rapids hospital with critical injuries.
The front seat passenger of the Buick was taken to a hospital in Michigan City, Indiana, then transferred to one in Chicago.
The back seat passenger of the Buick was treated at Spectrum Health Lakeland and released.