LOWELL CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says two people died and four others were seriously hurt, including two children, after a head-on crash.
Deputies say the crash happened around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday near Alden Nash Avenue and Emery Drive.
Investigators say a woman driving south on Alden Nash crossed the center line and hit another car head-on.
Right now, it's not clear why the driver crossed the center line; however, the KCSO Traffic Safety Unit is trying to figure out if impaired driving had anything to do with it.
When deputies arrived, they found that the driver who crossed the center line— a 42-year-old woman from Belding— had died.
The sheriff's office says the woman's children— a four-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy— were in the back seat at the time of the crash. Both kids were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Thursday, the sheriff's office reported the children are doing well and stable.
"They are stable and improving, so we're hopeful that they're going to make a full recovery," says Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young. "Obviously, there's a tremendous loss in their family."
First responders tried to save the front seat passenger's life— a 39-year-old woman from Lowell Township— but she also died at the scene.
There was also a 36-year-old woman from Lowell Township in the backseat. She was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. As of Thursday, deputies say the woman is in serious but stable condition.
The sheriff's office says a 20-year-old woman from Greenville was driving the car that got hit. She was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries. She was treated and discharged before 2:30 p.m.
According to the sheriff's office, lack of seatbelt usage may have been a factor in the crash deaths.
"What we can do most significantly across the board is one, slow down, and two, don't drive distracted," Sheriff LaJoye-Young adds, "because on a single-lane road such as that, there's nowhere to go for vehicles if you've caused a hazard because you're not paying attention; it's likely going to cause a high-speed, serious accident."
Alden Nash was closed for several hours after the crash.
