1 dead, 1 rescued after vehicle drives into Grand River in Eaton County
One person is dead and another was rescued after a vehicle crashed into the Grand River in Eaton County early Sunday morning.
The Eaton County Sheriff's Office was notified of the crash at around 2:22 a.m. after receiving an iPhone Crash Notification and an alert from the BMW Response Center.
Deputies say the crash happened near the dead end of Jolly Highway, with the coordinates of the vehicle being in the middle of the Grand River.
When deputies arrived, they found a severely damaged guardrail at the scene. Deputies and Michigan State Police saw taillights submerged about 200 feet from the shoreline.
Troopers used a canoe found on a neighboring property and paddled out to the vehicle to search for occupants. As troopers searched the vehicle, deputies rescued a man struggling to swim to shore.
The man was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
First responders used boats, search parties and a drone with thermal imaging to scan the river and the surrounding area to locate the missing passenger.
At around 8:30 a.m., Tri-County Dive Team members found a 39-year-old man in about 10 feet of water, a short distance downstream. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation is ongoing. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, deputies said.
