BERTRAND TOWNSHIP — A Three Oaks woman was airlifted from the scene of a serious accident involving a dump truck and a passenger vehicle on U.S. Highway 12 during the morning commute Thursday in Bertrand Township.

Lt. Steven Campbell, of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, said 32-year-old Laura Wilken, of Three Oaks, was

traveling alone east on US-12 when her passenger vehicle crossed the center line and struck the driver’s side of a loaded dump truck traveling west on US-12 near Franklin Road. The accident occurred at approximately 7:42 a.m.

The passenger vehicle, which suffered major damage on the driver’s side, spun and came to rest on the northbound shoulder of the road. Campbell said the driver of the dump truck — 33-year-old Corey Hojara, of Niles — locked his brakes and went off the north side of the road and hit a tree. Hojara was transported by Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service to Lakeland-Niles for treatment of minor injuries.

The dump truck is from B & S Trucking, of Niles.

Wilken was extricated from her vehicle and transported by MedFlight helicopter to Memorial Hospital in South Bend due to the seriousness of her injuries.

A portion of US-12 from Bakertown to Red Bud Trail was closed for several hours as police reconstructed the accident and removed the vehicles and debris.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department received assistance at the scene by the Michigan State Police, Bertrand Township Fire Department and Niles Township Fire Department.