Lots of people have been wondering why Eastbound I-94 at the St. Joseph River bridge was so seriously backed up for several hours this morning, and now Berrien County Sheriff’s Deputies have identified why.
If your morning drive to work was held up, it was due to a fatal crash on that bridge just minutes before six am today that claimed the life of one driver and injured the other.
Berrien County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Campbell says that first responders were dispatched to the two vehicle crash on the I94 bridge over the Saint Joseph River near Niles Road in Royalton Township at 5:55am. Campbell says that the driver of a 2013 Chrysler van was killed in the crash.
The second driver was driving a 2002 Jeep Liberty. He was taken to Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. Authorities say that neither driver was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit was called to the scene to document the tragedy, and traffic had to be detoured and rerouted during the investigation. The roadway was closed for two hours before being opened up at 8:55am.
This case remains open.
Sheriff’s deputies were assisted on the scene by the Lincoln Township Police Department, the Saint Joseph Township Police Department, the Royalton Fire Department and crews from Medic One Ambulance.
Neither driver has been identified at this time. Many morning commuters and semi drivers were caught up in the back up until rerouting and detours got underway, leaving many wondering what the delays were all about.
UPDATE AT 12:45PM*****UPDATE AT 12:45pm*****
Authorities have identified the drivers in this morning’s incident on the St. Joe River bridge on EB I-94.
The driver of the 2002 Jeep was 29 year old Stephen Byers of St. Joseph, Michigan.
The deceased driver was identified as 56 year old Myles Ullenbrauck of Skokie, Illinois.
This case remains open.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is courtesy of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.
