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Victim in deadly crash identified as Ionia County dispatcher

Posted at 7:08 AM, Dec 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-22 15:32:59-05

IONIA COUNTY, Mich. -- The victim killed in a crash Thursday has been identified as an employee with the Ionia County Central Dispatch.

John David Wiechenthal, 39, of Kentwood, died after a pick-up truck rear ended his car Thursday around 1:50 p.m. in the 5300 block of Kalamazoo Avenue SE, south of 52nd Street.

The other driver involved in the crash suffered non-life threatening injuries.

We're told Wiechenthal was a member of the dispatch family since December of 2009.

"John was a very important part of our operation and will be greatly missed by his co-workers," a post on the department's Facebook page reads.

Wiechenthal was one of the first dispatchers to be recognized by Smart911 with a SmartSave for using that system to save someone two different times.

Wiechenthal was also a DJ for B-93.7 FM for 19 years. He leaves behind a loving wife and three children. A Gofundme page has been set up to help his family during this difficult time.