Victims of morning fatal crash identified.

Victims of morning fatal crash identified.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

#MasonCountyNews

SHERMAN TOWNSHIP — The Mason County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of the people involved in this morning’s fatal car crash on North Custer Road.

Roger Vasquez, 45, of Manistee died following a four-vehicle crash involving a tractor and farm implement Tuesday morning. Emergency crews were dispatched to Custer Road, just north of Sugar Grove Road, at 6:11 a.m.

Vasquez was a passenger in a 2011 Ford SUV driven by Todd Harland, 51, of Manistee. According to Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole, initial findings indicate that Harland’s vehicle was southbound on Custer Road rear-ended a manure spreader, being hauled by a John Deere 4555 tractor driven by James Shea, 47, of Custer. The tractor was partially on the shoulder. Following the first collision, the SUV spun into the northbound lane of Custer Road and was then struck by a northbound 2003 Ford F-150 driven by Gurden Paggeot, 58, of Scottville. Harland’s vehicle was then struck by a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, owned by the Mason County Road Commission and driven by Christopher Sobaski, 60, of Free Soil.

Vaszquez was pronounced dead at the scene. Both pickup truck drivers and the driver of the SUV received non-life-threatening injuries and were all transported by LIFE EMS to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital. The driver of the tractor was uninjured.

The crash occurred in darkness. The implement had a slow moving vehicle (SMV) reflective sign but was not lit.

More details will be released upon notification of family members.

Emergency units responding included Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Fountain Area Fire Department, Custer Fire Department, medical examiner, Life EMS and Mason County Victim Services Unit.

The case remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.

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