VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - A 1-year-old child died of their injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash that also hurt their 5-year-old sibling on Friday in Southwest Michigan.
According to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, the fatal collision occurred just before 12:20 p.m. on June 2nd. Authorities responded to the scene on M-40 in Paw Paw, between 40th Avenue and 44th Avenue.
The sheriff's office said where was a traffic slow down on M-40 due to a northbound vehicle making a lefthand turn. The driver of a Chevrolet Colorado failed to stop in time for traffic and plowed into the back of a Toyota Highlander, which was occupied by a mother and her two young children, ages 1 and 5.
The mother, identified as a 32-year-old Paw Paw woman, appeared OK after the crash, but her two children were rushed by EMS to Bronson Methodist Hospital for their injuries.
Deputies said both children had been in child restraint seats when they were rear-ended.
On Friday evening, the 1-year-old died from their injuries. The 5-year-old remains hospitalized, but their medical condition and extent of their injuries is unclear.
The driver of the Chevrolet Colorado, a 60-year-old Paw Paw woman, was also injured in the crash, deputies added. She also remains hospitalized.
An investigation into the crash remains ongoing at this time. No official cause has been released. It remains unclear if speed, alcohol or drugs were factors, the release stated.
