A 17 year old boy is dead after a crash involving alcohol in Hartford on Friday. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department has released the following statement:
Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott reports that Deputies responded to an assault, leading to a traffic crash which resulted in the death of a seventeen-year-old male from Hartford. A fight took place near the intersection of Red Arrow Highway and Springdale Drive in Hartford. Two subjects fled from the fight and during the escape, the truck collided with a light pole. One of the combatants was holding on to the driver’s side window area of the truck and the collision pinned the victim between the truck and the pole causing his death.
The suspect in the truck was taken into custody and treated at Watervliet Emergency Room for injuries sustained in the fight. Contact with the driver during the investigation revealed that he had been drinking alcohol. He was charged with Operating While Intoxicated causing death and Reckless driving causing death.
The investigation into this crime will continue and anyone with information is asked to contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
