A woman is dead after she was hit by a vehicle in Niles Township Thursday morning. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says it happened on M-51 near Pucker Street just after 7 a.m. A sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene to find a woman who had been struck by a vehicle lying in the road. She was taken to Spectrum Health Lakeland hospital in Niles where she died a short time later. She has been identified as 56-year-old Veronica Gary of Dowagiac. Police say their investigation found Gary was having trouble with her vehicle as she drove north on M-51 toward Niles. As she was pulling over, a wheel come off the vehicle and rolled across the road coming to rest in a ditch. After Gary had called for help, she retrieved the tire, and was struck by a northbound vehicle as she returned to her vehicle. The name of the other driver hasn’t been released and the sheriff’s department says a report will be sent to the Berrien County Prosecutor when the investigation is complete.
