By Staff
ST. JOSEPH -- A crash Tuesday morning on M-139, 500 feet north of the St. Joseph River bridge in Sodus Township, killed a Buchanan man.
Berrien County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Bill Marx reported Ryan Alan Tucker, 22, of 3105 Hilltop Drive, Buchanan, died Tuesday morning when his 2002 Chevy Blazer collided head-on with a semi.
Josh R. Binkley, 27, the driver of the 1992 Kenworth semi truck pulling a bulk loader loaded with dry cement, was only shaken up, although the truck also sustained heavy damage.
The first units to arrive confirmed the seriousness of the crash and called for fire department units since the Tucker vehicle was on fire. Arriving officers used their fire extinguishers to put the blaze out.
Initial investigation revealed that Tucker was northbound on M-139.
It was learned from witnesses that Tucker had passed other northbound vehicles before he made a last attempt to pass a northbound vehicle.
Tucker started his pass towards the end of a passing zone and at the beginning of a no-passing zone entering a curve. Tucker pulled into the southbound lane to pass a northbound vehicle when he was confronted by several southbound vehicles.
The first vehicle, a Jeep, was able to avoid striking Tucker's vehicle, but the second vehicle in the southbend lane was the semi truck driven by Binkley.
Binkley had little time to react to the vehicle in his lane. He attempted to avoid the Tucker vehicle, but he could not and the SUV struck the semi head-on. Initially, both vehicles were within the posted speed limit of 55 mph. Speeding does not appear to be a factor in this crash, authorities said. During the impact the two saddle fuel tanks on the semi tank ruptured and spilled fuel oil over the northbound lane of M-139 for some 250 feet.
This fuel oil was removed from the roadway by Young's Environmental of Grand Rapids. The clean-up took longer than the investigation. Investigators had a concern since the fuel oil spilled on the roadway at the start of a curve and had the potential to cause a serious hazard if not completely cleaned up.
Investigation continues into the mishap. Officers hope to discover Tucker's schedule of that morning and his possible reason for needing to pass vehicles along M-139. Witnesses commented that he appeared to be running late for something.