Accident claims 20-year-old local resident

On 6-17-2021 starting at approximately 759 pm Chippewa County Central Dispatch started receiving multiple 911 calls. The calls were reporting reckless driving of a truck starting in the Pickford area heading north towards Sault Ste Marie. The 911 callers, advised the truck was driving at very high speeds, running off the road hitting multiple mailboxes, driving into the oncoming lane, almost hitting vehicles head-on and at one point the driver threw a tire iron out the window at another vehicle.

Deputy Sheriffs located the truck northbound on M-129 and attempted to stop the vehicle. The truck continued at a high rate of speed, in a reckless manner striking the back of a small passenger car which had pulled off to the side of the road, near M-129 and 20th Street. The impact from the truck propelled the car into an electric pole.

The truck continued heading northbound, crossing 20th Street, took out a stop sign and electric pole guide wire before crashing into three parked cars and hitting a building.

The driver of the truck was taken to WMH with life threatening injuries.

The victim in the small car was ejected due to the extreme impact and was pronounced dead on scene.

Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office called their Accident Investigators and were assisted by Sault Ste Marie PD, Sault Tribe PD, Sault Fire and Central Dispatch. Cloverland Electric and DTE were also called to the scene to stabilize damaged utilities. Ashmun Street was closed for several hours while the traffic crash was investigated and remains under investigation at this time.

The victim was identified as a 20-year-old Sault Ste Marie resident. Anyone with information on this incident can contact the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office at 906-635-6355, Sheriff’s Facebook Page or the Sheriff’s App.