OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Deputies say a driver ran from the scene after crashing into a home in Wright Township near the town of Marne.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office says it happened Monday just after 11:30 p.m. on Washington Street near Jackson Street.
A driver of a white Cadillac Deville was eastbound on I-96 and took exit 23. Deputies say the driver failed to negotiate the curve and left the roadway, crashing into a home on the east side of Washington Street.
The driver then ran from the crash site before deputies could get there.
Inspecting the damage in the light of day Tuesday, David Lumsden, the homeowner, addressed the accident and what he said were chronic issues concerning the property near Marne and drivers exiting the freeway in an interview with 13 ON YOUR SIDE.
The tenant renting the property from him, Lumsden related, was home and asleep when the car barreled into his living room. He was unharmed.
Fire personnel were seen cordoning-off the gaping hole left in the front of the home as the interview continued Tuesday afternoon.
The wheel ruts in Lumsden’s lawn were still littered with Cadillac parts that had apparently broken-off when the driver left the ramp and slammed into the tree line between I-96 and the far side of the property.
“We're in danger standing here,” he laughed nervously. “You definitely could be because this happens. You see the trees and stuff?”
Lumsden referred to the large marks observed on several trees adjacent to the home.
There had been at least five similar occurrences, he explained, since January, including an incident several days earlier in which a tree had stopped the driver several feet short of impacting the building’s façade.
Lumsden urged officials to look into safety improvements to make drivers aware of the problem spot.
The area where the exit ramp meets Washington Street, where the crash occurred, is managed by two different agencies: the Ottawa County Road Commission and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
In response to an inquiry submitted by 13 OYS, MDOT provided an emailed statement:
“As with any crash, MDOT will wait until the police complete the official crash report so our engineers can effectively understand all of the circumstances. Crash data is regularly analyzed for patterns of crashes that may be mitigated through safety improvements. Just as we would for other crashes, the circumstances of this crash will be evaluated along with accumulated crash data for potential safety changes at this curve. Those changes may include guardrail installation, but more likely would be the installation of additional signs or pavement markings to make motorists aware of their speed going into a 25-mph zone from a freeway.
“That ramp is unusual as it transitions very quickly into a local road near an intersection. If any changes are to be made, we likely will work in concert with the local road agency to ensure the safety measures are as effective as possible.”
The Ottawa County Road Commission had yet to respond at the time of publication Tuesday.
Lumsden, meanwhile, admitted he was on edge even mowing the lawn, thinking about when—not if—the next incident might occur and what the collateral damage might include.
“Somebody is going to be killed here,” he stressed. “He was very lucky… I mean, this happens day in and day out.”
A man claiming to be the owner of the home told our 13 ON YOUR SIDE crew at the scene that this isn't the first time a vehicle has had trouble with the exit and crashed into the home. He told us he would like to see a guardrail installed along the road.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office says if anyone has information about the crash, please contact the Sheriff's Office or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or mosotips.com.
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