COLDWATER TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – A semi driver from Canada suffered serious injuries Saturday afternoon in a crash that trapped him in his vehicle on southbound I-69 north of State Road. The Branch County Sheriff’s Department says the crash happened at about 3:00 p.m..
They say when deputies arrived, they found a semi tractor trailer rolled over and a passenger car that had been damaged on driver’s side. Sheriff Deputy’s assisted the Coldwater Fire Department with the jaws of life in cutting out and extricating the trapped tractor trailer driver.
The deputy’s preliminary investigation shows a passenger car occupied by 33-year-old Deandre Pace of Flint, Michigan was parked on the shoulder of south bound I-69. Pace had minor injuries.
The south bound semi left the travel portion of the pavement and side-swiped Pace’s car which caused the semi to lose control and go off the road.
It then went into the ditch and rolled over twice, trapping the driver who was identified as 55-year-old Andrew Smith of Hillier, Ontario.
After he was freed from his vehicle, Smith was transported to ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital.
He was later transferred to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne where at last report he was listed in serious condition.
The accident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department. The semi contained large paper rolls and was not hazardous.
Sheriff Deputies were assisted at the scene by Coldwater Fire Rescue/ Jaws of Life, Life Care Ambulance Service and 911 Towing.
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