Two teens seriously injured in Blendon Township crash
A 17-year-old girl and her 14-year-old passenger were taken to a hospital with serious injuries after a three-vehicle crash Wednesday morning.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded about 7:20 a.m. Oct. 7 to the intersection of 72nd Avenue and Blair Street in Blendon Township.
Deputies said a 21-year-old Zeeland man driving on 72nd Avenue rear-ended another car turning left onto Blair Street driven by the 17-year-old Zeeland girl.
The impact pushed the car across the centerline, where it collided head-on with a southbound vehicle driven by a 36-year-old Allendale woman.
The first car went off the east shoulder into a ditch and caught fire. Its driver escaped and was treated and released at the scene for minor injuries.
The Blendon Township Fire Department assisted at the scene. Deputies temporarily closed 72nd Avenue while crews investigated and cleared the wreckage. The road has reopened, and the crash remains under investigation.
Michigan law on rear-end and chain-reaction crashes
Under MCL 257.402, a driver who overtakes and hits a vehicle facing the same direction is generally presumed negligent. That means it is assumed they failed to use reasonable care, but that presumption can be challenged with evidence..
For a chain-reaction crash, responsibility depends on whose conduct caused each injury. A vehicle being pushed into another vehicle doesn’t, by itself, prove that its driver was careless. Michigan Legal Center explains how separate impacts affect fault in multi-vehicle and chain-reaction crashes.
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If you or your child suffered injuries in a multi-vehicle crash, contact Michigan Legal Center to discuss possible insurance benefits and injury claims.
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