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Police: Crash on M-26 Monday was avoidable

Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette A two-vehicle property damage crash occurred near one of the city of Houghton’s most dangerous intersections Monday, causing eastbound traffic on Memorial Road to be detoured around the crash scene. No one was injured in the crash.

HOUGHTON — A two-vehicle property damage crash occurred on the intersection of Memorial Road and Fourth Street at approximately 5 p.m. Monday, which Lieutenant Nick Roberts, Houghton Police Department, said is a frequent spot for collisions, often for the same reason.

The driver of a vehicle proceeding east in the north lane that approaches the bridge, stopped and waved through a vehicle turning south onto Fourth Street. The vehicle turning onto Fourth Street proceeded to turn south, into the path of a vehicle approaching east in the other lane.

“The oncoming car collided with the car trying to get onto Fourth Street,” Roberts said.

The driver of the vehicle attempting to turn onto Fourth Street was cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic, Roberts said.

“It’s a bad area for accidents,” Roberts said, “because people will be in the center lane to turn up Fourth Street, and you’ll get somebody in that inside lane that’ll stop and wave you through, and they’re not looking behind them to see who is in the far lane of traffic.”

Roberts said the Police Department has issued statements in past warning against the practice, but their warnings continue to be ignored.

“That’s a main accident area,” he said, “because people will turn left onto Fourth after being waved through, and we tell them: ‘Don’t stop and wave people through, it creates an accident.'”

Names of the parties involved in the crash are not being released, Roberts said, to protect their privacy.

Houghton Police were assisted on the scene by the Houghton Fire Department, Houghton County Sheriff deputies, and Hancock Police Department.

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