Car slams into tow truck along US-131

BRADLEY, Mich. (WOOD) - A driver was critically injured along U.S. 131 in Wayland Township when he hit the back of a tow truck whose driver was assisting a car that previously slid into the median.

Around 9 a.m. Thursday, Allegan County deputies were working on a different U.S. 131 crash when a passerby said he saw the car hit the tow truck. The deputies found the crash near Exit 61 in Bradley and immediately called for help.

The driver, 41-year-old Michael Maartense from Allendale, was extricated from the car and airlifted to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids for treatment of a severe head injury.

Investigators determined he was driving south in the outside lane along U.S. 131. As he approached the tow truck, he braked, lost control of his vehicle, which spun and slid into the back of the tow truck, hitting it on the passenger side of his car.

It appears the driver was traveling too fast for the icy road, authorities said.

The tow truck driver -- Donald Chappell -- was outside of his truck and able to get out of the way of the oncoming car. He was not hurt.

The car that the tow truck was helping was not hit.