2 dead in crash with wrong-way driver in Southwest Michigan

Authorities say two people are dead following a fiery crash involving a wrong-way driver on an Allegan County roadway after state police tried to stop the motorist.

The crash happened around midnight Tuesday on U.S. 131 near Plainwell, about 35 miles south of Grand Rapids. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports police responded to multiple 911 calls about the driver before the crash.

Police say 29-year-old Jeremy Smeltzer of Portage was driving a pickup truck the wrong way and collided head-on with a car, and both drivers died. An injured passenger from the car was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening.

Police identified the car’s driver as 21-year-old Jaryd Ford of Plainwell. The roadway was closed for hours following the crash.