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Deputies inspect the pickup that struck the woman.
BRANCH TWP. — A 37-year-old Walhalla woman has been taken to a Grand Rapids hospital after she apparently attempted to commit suicide on U.S. 10 this afternoon. As a result, U.S. 10 is closed between Benson and Schoenherr roads.
Life EMS ambulance transports the woman to an awaiting helicopter.
The incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. about a mile west of Wallhalla. Sheriff Kim Cole said the woman was driving east on U.S. 10 when she attempted to drive into the path of an oncoming semi, driven by a 56-year-old Kalkaska man.
Sheriff Cole said the semi driver swerved to miss the vehicle, which side-swiped his vehicle. Several hundred yards east the woman got out of her vehicle and announced that her attempt to hit the semi was deliberate. Cole said bystanders attempted to restrain her but she got loose. Several vehicles attempted to swerve out of the way but she eventually jumped into the path of a 1995 Chevy pickup driven by a 20-year-old Ludington man.
Sheriff Cole, left, talks to deputies.
Aeromed helicopter was called to the location, landing in a farm field owned by Sommerfeldt Farms. The 37-year-old woman was flown out. At one point, it was reported that she was not breathing.
“Our crash reconstruction team is on the scene and will be investigating,” Sheriff Cole said on the scene. “We have also called in the Victims Assistance Unit to help those involved.” The sheriff said drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor.
Several witnesses were involved in the incident, which covered an area well over a mile.
The semi involved in the incident
In addition to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, personnel from Branch and Custer fire departments and Life EMS ambulance responded. The ladder truck from Pere Marquette Fire Department was also called to assist with documenting the scene.
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