WAVERLY TWP. – On the night of July 3, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a two-vehicle head-on crash on M-43 at 46th Street in Waverly Township, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, Sheriff’s deputies assisted with initial patient triage before beginning a crash investigation. Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott said the preliminary investigation indicated that an SUV traveling westbound on M-43 crossed into oncoming traffic and struck an eastbound SUV head-on. Heavy rainfall and reduced visibility are believed to have been contributing factors in the crash.
Each vehicle carried two occupants. Three of the four were transported to local hospitals with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle that crossed the centerline was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to Sheriff Abbott.
The occupants of the eastbound vehicle were identified as an 18-year-old male from Kalamazoo and an 18-year-old female from White Pigeon. The passenger of the westbound vehicle was identified as a 27-year-old female from Lawrence, and the deceased driver as a 37-year-old female from Lawrence.
M-43 was closed for approximately four hours while the crash was investigated.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
