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Man charged in fatal crash that killed a mom, injured kids

Posted at 3:53 PM, Sep 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-18 18:35:11-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A man accused of killing a mother and injuring her two young sons in a crash Friday night has been officially charged.

Doug Crystal faces charges of failure to stop at a crash that resulted in death, failure to stop at a crash resulting in injury, and reckless driving.

Meranda Baguss

Meranda Baguss, 33, was killed in the crash Friday night at 15 Mile Road and Ritchie.  Her five-year-old twin sons, Chauncey and Tony were also injured.  Chauncey was last listed in critical condition and Tony was in serious condition. Baguss was a nursing technician at Spectrum Health Butterworth.

Court documents showed that Crystal called police from home the day following the accident, seeking medical assistance for chest and back injuries. He indicated he had been in a car accident, but refused to answer questions without an attorney present. A search warrant later executed on electronic data from his Ford pickup revealed Crystal was traveling 91 miles per hour five seconds before the impact.

The Kent County Sheriff's department says that Crystal allegedly went through the stop sign and hit Baguss's vehicle broadside.