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Teen passenger killed when driver falls asleep

Posted at 12:48 PM, May 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-22 13:03:52-04

JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Police have released the identity of a teenage passenger who died in a one-vehicle crash after the driver fell asleep Sunday morning.

At 5:19 a.m. Sunday, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a crash with injuries on 32nd Avenue north of Adams Street in Jamestown Township. Their investigation showed that a 20-year-old Hopkins man was driving a 2001 Ford Escape northbound on 32nd Avenue when the driver said he fell asleep.

The SUV then left the roadway, entered a ditch and struck a driveway abutment.

The front-seat passenger — identified later in the day as Hope Elizabeth Klinkers, 19, of Hamilton — was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both occupants were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

The vehicle’s driver was injured and was treated and released.

Sgt. Steve Austin said the driver’s name is being withheld “pending additional investigation” and said investigators are awaiting toxicology results.