SILVER LAKE, Mich. — It has been almost a month since Kadie Price lost her life in an accident on Silver Lake Sand Dunes. Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, FOX 17 has obtained the police reports and videos from that day. A recurring theme from witnesses is that the Jeep that caused the crash was going fast.
“It was real fast. You know, it's fast enough, it was outside of the driver's control,“ said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.
Videos shows a red Jeep racing another vehicle on the dune. It quickly loses control and crashes into bystanders watching the race, killing Kadie Price. Some witnesses estimated the Jeep's speed at around 85 miles per hour.
The driver of the red Jeep told deputies that the throttle got stuck and he couldn’t push the engine kill switch on the dashboard. Charlie Price, the husband of the victim, describes the Jeep going at full throttle as he got out of the way with his son. His wife, Kadie, got their daughter to safety before she was hit.
During the investigation, deputies were unable to duplicate the throttle getting stuck.
Sheriff Mast says, “When my deputy that was out there on the scene — and he's a very mechanical young man — he manipulated the throttle body and it appeared to be functioning appropriately after the incident.”
Mechanics who inspected the Jeep say the Jeep was outfitted with quality parts and its brakes had adequate stopping power.
Sheriff Mast says fatal crashes are rare on the dune but the Department of Natural Resources are reviewing its policies to keep the dune safe.
“It might be time to revisit some safety practices, maybe, you know, have some posted signs up there giving spectators what's expected of them for their own safety,” said Sheriff Mast.
He says people should stay in their vehicles and give more room when watching vehicles on the dune, saying “nobody wants to see this again.”
The driver of the Jeep has been cooperating and passed both a breathalyzer and a blood test for intoxicants. The investigation has been turned over to the Oceana prosecutor, who will decide if any charges will be filed.
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