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US-31 reopens in Holland Twp after car snaps power pole

Posted at 4:21 PM, Jun 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-09 17:17:40-04

UPDATE: At 5 p.m. Saturday, Ottawa County Central Dispatch announced all lanes had reopened.

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HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority says a  crash at U.S.-31 and James Street on Saturday afternoon snapped a power pole just after 3 p.m., so the traffic signals weren’t working in that immediate area. US-31 was closed in both directions between Felch and James streets for more than an hour, but Central Dispatch told FOX 17 at 4:36 p.m. Saturday that one lane of US-31 had reopened both north- and south-bound.

The accident occurred around 3:09 p.m., when a driver with right-of-way took evasive action to avoid being hit – and slammed into a power pole.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release a six-year-old girl from Indiana sustained “somewhat minor” injuries, and an 11-year-old girl also suffered “non-life threatening” injuries. They were passengers in a vehicle driven by Wendi Landford, and were taken by AMR Ambulance to Holland Community Hospital.

The Sheriff’s Office says the 44-year-old Landford – of Indiana  – was heading northbound on US-31 and taking the Michigan turnaround north of James Street, in order to go southbound. Witnesses told police Landord had the green light. Police say 16-year-old Margaret Arens of Holland “disregarded the red traffic light at the Michigan turnaround.

“Landford took evasive action, avoiding Arens, and went off the west side of US-31, striking a pole holding the traffic signals for both north- and south-bound lanes of US-31. This collision brought the traffic lights and lines down blocking all of US-31.”

The Sheriff’s Office says Arens was ticketed for Disregarding a Red Traffic LIght.

Central Dispatch said M-DOT was addressing the traffic-signal issue and cleanup of debris is underway.