IONIA COUNTY, MI – A North Carolina woman was killed Monday, April 10, in a crash on I-96.
The victim’s eastbound pickup truck hit a cable barrier then stopped on the expressway where it was struck by a semi-tractor trailer, Ionia County sheriff’s deputies said.
Kristin Vandersyde, 38, of Brevard, North Carolina, died in the 10:05 p.m. crash on I-96 near Jackson Road in Ionia County’s Berlin Township.
She was driving a Chevrolet Silverado east on I-96 when it left the road, hit a cable barrier and came to a stop on the highway, police said. The truck driver, a 39-year-old Big Rapids man, tried to stop but could not avoid hitting the pickup, police said.
The victim was trapped in the pickup truck and had to be freed by Berlin-Orange firefighters. Rescuers provided medical treatment but the victim died at the scene.
Police do not believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.
Other agencies assisting at the scene were Life EMS, state police, Lake Odessa police and Saranac firefighters.