UNION TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – A two vehicle crash at the intersection of Burlington and Girard Roads injured multiple persons on Tuesday morning.
The Branch County Sheriff’s Department says the vehicles collided at about 9:15 a.m.
They report 56-year-old Kim Pearce of Quincy was traveling north on Burlington Road and allegedly failed to stop for the stop sign.
After entering the intersection, Pearce was struck by an east bound vehicle on Girard Road being driven by 32-year-old Erik James Heckman of Burlington.
The vehicles went off the road after colliding. Pearce was entrapped in his vehicle but was later extricated by fire fighters and later flown out by West Michigan Air Care.
Several other occupants of the Heckman vehicle were injured as well. The seriousness of their injuries and the exact number of persons injured was not reported in a Sheriff’s Department news release.
The area roads were shut down for several hours. The Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the crash.
Deputies were assisted by the Union City and Burlington Fire Departments, Union City Police, Life Care Ambulance and the Branch County Road Commission.
It was at least the third injury crash in four days in Branch County.
I live and obviously drive in this area often… last week, I watched a car, west bound on Girard, blow the stop sign at Adolf. I, at the time, was traveling southbound on Adolf. Had I not slowed for a deer, just north of that intersection, that westbound car would have hit me, broadside, doing well over the speed limit. I don’t know if ppl are distracted with their phones, preoccupied with life situations, or even the technologies in their vehicles, but some of you ppl need to focus! Don’t get complacent on these back roads thinking you’re the only person on the road. Slow down, save a life… maybe even your own.