Alcohol and speed appear to be factors in a head-on collision that seriously injured two people Saturday evening in Niles, according to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.

The accident occurred on M-51 near Pucker Street in Niles Township at approximately 9:40 p.m.

The sheriff’s department is reporting that a Chevy van driven by 43-year-old Scott Park, of Niles, crossed the centerline as it was traveling south on M-51 and hit a northbound vehicle driven by 37-year-old Chelsea LaPorte, of Schoolcraft.

Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles and had to be extricated.

Park and LaPorte were transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

The accident is still under investigation, but it appears that alcohol and speed are factors in the crash, according to the sheriff’s department.