Portage crash claims two lives

By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer
PORTAGE TOWNSHIP — Two men were killed in a single-vehicle crash early this morning in Portage Township.

At about 12:48 a.m., deputies from the Houghton County Sheriff’s Department received notice of the crash, at the intersection of Onkalo’s Corner Road and the Chassell-Painesdale Road in Portage Township.

The driver was heading north on the Chassell-Painesdale Road when he drove through the intersection, which had a stop sign. The car then hit a power pole guide wire and a tree, catching on fire.

The driver and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Rosemurgy said a positive identification has not yet been made on the victims.

“We have made contact with some folks, and we’ve got a pretty good idea, but it’s got to be officially determined by the medical examiner’s office,” he said.

The crash’s cause is undetermined. Rosemurgy said that intersection has been the site of previous accidents.

“That particular corner kind of comes up fast for some people at night,” he said. “Maybe there should be a flashing light or something. It’s kind of a bad spot.”

The extensive fire damage to the vehicle made it difficult to identify the vehicle; Rosemurgy was unsure of the vehicle’s make and model, but said they may have been able to pull the vehicle’s serial numbers off an engine block.

The Houghton County Sheriff’s Department was assisted at the scene by the Otter Lake First Responders, Adams Township Fire Department, Hurontown Fire Department Jaws of Life, Upper Peninsula Power Co., Mercy Ambulance, Superior Service and the Michigan State Police.



Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com