2 dead, including boy, after SUV crash in southern Michigan; girl injured

Two people are dead, including a 5-year-old boy, and a girl is injured after an SUV hit a tree and overturned in Ovid Township Friday evening, according to the Michigan State Police.

The single-vehicle crash happened on East Central Road near South Centennial Road around 6:20 p.m. Investigators say a 26-year-old man was driving a Buick Enclave eastbound on East Central Road when the SUV left the roadway, struck the tree and rolled.

According to the state law enforcement agency, the Coldwater, Michigan, man was ejected from the Buick as a result of the crash, while his son and 4-year-old daughter were trapped inside. Responding troopers removed the children from the vehicle and provided medical care before they were taken to a hospital, where the boy later died.

Officials said the man died at the scene. His daughter was receiving treatment for life-threatening injuries following the incident.

The man was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, and his son was not "restrained in a child safety seat," according to the agency. The girl was properly secured.

Investigators said speed may have been a contributing factor in the collision.

Ovid Township, located in Branch County, is roughly 64 miles southeast of Kalamazoo, Michigan.