Fatal crash – Semi truck vs Pedestrian
- Person Making Release: Lt Thad Chartrand
- Date and Time of Incident: 0345 hours Saturday Morning April 12, 2025
- Type of Incident: Fatal crash – Semi truck vs Pedestrian
- Location of Incident: I-94 Eastbound @ 14.2mm near Browntown Rd in Lake Township
- Agencies Involved:
Berrien County Sheriff’s Patrol, Bridgman Police Dept, Lake Township Fire, Chikaming Township Fire, WMED Medical Examiner, Medic 1 Ambulance, Berrien County Sheriffs Traffic Crash Unit
Narrative:
On Saturday morning at approx. 3:45am, First responders were sent to a semi-truck vs pedestrian crash. Upon arrival they located a male subject lying in the third lane of traffic, deceased. In a statement provided by the truck driver, he reported travelling eastbound on Interstate 94 when an animal appeared in the roadway and he could not avoid collision with it. After getting his truck stopped he walked back towards the scene and found that he had struck a person.
Medic 1 arrived on scene a short time later and the pedestrian, Identified as 35 yr old Jose Henandez of Sawyer, was pronounced deceased. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Traffic Crash unit was called to the scene. Investigators found that Hernandez had been out walking some distance during the night and ended up on Interstate 94 where he eventually got hit. It is unknown why he was on the highway.
The driver of the Semi truck, who is from Dearborn, Michigan was uninjured in the collision. It does not appear that drugs or alcohol are factors in this incident. Crash Investigators are continuing to investigate speaking with family member and friends, and seeking phone records to help determine why the pedestrian was on the roadway.
