Deputies: 1 dead and 2 injured in accident on Lake Michigan Drive

The scene of a fatal crash on Lake Michigan Drive on June 25, 2024. (Courtesy of Elijah Cason)

TALLMADGE TOWNSHIP, Michigan (WOOD) – One person died and two others were injured in a traffic accident that closed both lanes of Lake Michigan Drive east of Allendale Tuesday afternoon.

At around 4:14 p.m., a 2021 Dodge Charger, driven by a 42-year-old Grand Rapids man, and a 2005 Jeep, driven by a 23-year-old, were both traveling east on Lake Michigan Drive near Trillium Lane, officials said. “Contact occurred between these two vehicles,” the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said, causing the Charger to cross the center line and strike a 2008 Pontiac traveling west.

The 27-year-old driver of the Pontiac, who was from Grand Rapids, died, officials said.

When rescuers arrived, they found a person in one of the vehicles that had caught fire. They were able to free the person from the vehicle and extinguish the fire. It is not clear which vehicle the person was recovered from.

The driver of the Charger was flown to the hospital by Aero Med and suffered serious injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. The driver of the Jeep suffered minor injuries.

Lake Michigan Drive was closed after the accident to investigate and repair the damage.

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating. Anyone who witnessed the accident should contact the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office at 616.738.4000 or Silent observer at 877.887.4536.