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Car capped at 111 mph before crashing into Kalamazoo bus

Posted at 7:25 PM, Jun 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-19 19:28:43-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The car that smashed into a Kalamazoo Metro Transit bus in May reportedly topped out at a speed of 111 mph.

In the early evening hours of May 24, a Pontiac Grand Prixcrashed into a bus where W. Michigan Ave, Oakland Dr and South Street meet.

Warning: Video contains graphic content

Sources close to the investigation say the police report taken in the aftermath of the crash says the driver of the vehicle, identified as Michael Spencer, told investigators he was having a mental health episode that evening.

The Grand Prix he was driving was equipped with a data recorder. It recorded him going 108 mph before the crash, capping at a speed of 111 mph. In the final second before the crash, the recorder indicated the car was going 102 mph, and that his gas pedal was pushed all the way to floor.

The recorder doesn’t indicate that he tried to brake at any point before the crash.

The bus driver lost part of her leg, and four other bus passengers were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Spencer suffered serious injuries.

Spencer isn’t currently facing any charges for the bus crash. He was given a drug test, but those results haven’t come back yet.

The crash remains under investigation by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.