PORTAGE, Mich. — A teenage driver was killed and another driver was injured during a Sunday morning collision on Sprinkle Road.
At 6:58 a.m. Sunday, the Portage Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a serious two-car accident in the area of Sprinkle Road and Centre Street. While officers were en route to the scene, Kalamazoo County Central Dispatch received additional information that one of the vehicles was on fire and the driver was still inside.
Portage firefighters arrived on scene within three minutes, extinguished the fire quickly and began attempts to resuscitate the driver. The 18-year-old male from Scotts was transported by Life Ambulance to Bronson Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The other driver, a 25-year-old man from Kalamazoo, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Bronson Hospital where he was listed in serious condition later Sunday.
The investigation revealed that both vehicles were northbound on Sprinkle Road when the first vehicle ran into the rear of the second vehicle, sending both of them crashing into a utility pole.
Sprinkle Road was closed in both directions between Centre Street and Romance Road while the accident was being investigated. Motorists were encouraged to seek alternate routes. The roadway was reopened to its normal traffic flow at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
Anybody with any information about this crash is being asked to contact the Portage Department of Public Safety by calling (269) 329-4567 or Silent Observer by calling (269) 343-2100 or at www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com on the Web.
