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Minivan crashes into Van Buren Co. church

Posted at 12:47 PM, Jul 03, 2015
and last updated 2015-07-04 08:46:02-04

UPDATE (8:30 a.m.) : The driver of the vehicle that crashed into the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department identified the driver as 73 year old David Martin from the Lawton area.

According to Deputies, at approximately 10:16 a.m. Friday  they responded to a call of a car crashing into St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at M-40 Highway and 64th Avenue just north of Lawton.

The investigation discovered that the vehicle was headed northbound on M-40 when it went off of the road and drove through a yard south of 64th Avenue.

The vehicle crossed over 64th Avenue and continued north going through the church parking lot.

The vehicle crashed into the entry way, ripping half of the entrance off the building then flipped on its side and crashed into the side of the church.

Martin was transported to a local hospital after sustaining serious injuries.

Deputies report Martin was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.

The crash is still under investigation.

If anyone has information about the accident, please contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at 269-657-2006.

LAWTON, Mich. -   One person was seriously hurt when a minivan crashed into a Van Buren County church.

The crash happened at about 10:15am Friday at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on M-40 in Lawton.  Dispatch tells us that the cause of the crash is unclear.

The injured driver is described as a 73-year-old man.  The vehicle was a 2010 Subaru Forester.