2 young men die in Ionia County crash

IONIA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Two young men died in a single-car crash Thursday afternoon in Ionia County.

The victims have been identified as 21-year-old Casey Hanline and 20-year-old Alex Brown, both from Ionia.

Hanline was driving a Chevrolet Cavalier west on Smokey Row when he lost control just east of Main Street in Ionia Township, according to the sheriff's department.

The car went off the road, into a small ditch, then went airborne and hit a tree.

Both occupants died at the scene.

Speed was a factor, investigators said, and neither young man was wearing a seat belt.

"Though there were no indications of drug or alcohol use found on the scene, final conclusions as to what caused the crash will not be released until toxicology tests have been completed," according to a news release on Friday.