Half dozen injury-causing crashes at the dunes in one week.

OCP file photo

Half dozen injury-causing crashes at the dunes in one week.

GOLDEN TOWNSHIP — The Oceana County Sheriff’s Office responded to six injury-causing vehicle crashes at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in one week.

The first one occurred Tuesday, July 14, shortly before 11 a.m. when a 62-year-old Mayville, Michigan man was driving a 2020 Can Am Maverick. He had four passengers, including a 36-year-old Rochester Hills woman, two 9-year-old boys and a 3-year-old girl. All of the passengers were injured in the crash, although the driver was not. They were transported by Life EMS to Mercy Health Partners Hackley campus in Muskegon.

“Vehicle #1 was southbound on the directional area,” states the narrative of the crash report. “The driver went over a hill too fast and caused the vehicle to overturn. In the front passenger seat, were two female subjects in the same seat. The total occupants exceeded the vehicle occupancy. Driver was cited for careless operation.”

The report states that only one person on the ATV — one of the 9-year-old boys — was wearing a helmet. The other 9-year-old was wearing a seat belt — shoulder belt only.

The second crash occurred Tuesday, July 14, at 9:20 p.m. A 51-year-old Lansing man riding a 2016 Honda CRF 450 was treated by Life EMS but not hospitalized, according to the report.

“The motorcycle driver was going too fast for the sandy conditions and lost control of his bike,” states the report. “He fell off the bike and complained of head pain.” He was wearing a helmet.

The third crash happened Friday, July 17, just before 6 p.m. A 23-year-old Clinton Township, Michigan man operating a 2020 Polaris RZR 1000 was transported by Life EMS to Hackley. A 22-year-old Sterling Heights woman, who was a passenger, was not injured.

“Vehicle #1 was on the dunes when the driver was driving too fast and turning at the same time. The vehicle overturned, and the driver was injured,” states the report.

A 20-year-old Grant, Michigan man riding a 2000 Honda Quad received a minor injury on the South Flats when it “caught the water with the quad’s front tire and the quad overturned” Saturday, July 18, just after 11 a.m. He was not transported to the hospital.

A 19-year-old Dearborn man operating a 2017 Yamaha Quad was injured Monday, July 20, around 2:30 p.m. He “hit a series on small bumps in the sand and lost control of the quad he was driving,” the report states. He then fell from the quad, which overturned.

He was transported by Life EMS to Hackley. He was wearing a helmet.

Another crash occurred Monday around 7:15 p.m. A 36-year-old Livonia, Michigan man riding a 2017 Polaris RZR “was doing donuts in the area of Dunebuggy Junction, straightened out and accelerated,” the report states. “Unit #1 lost control of his vehicle and rolled his ORV and grabbed the roll cage which crushed his hand during the rollover.” The man complained of pain in his right hand, which was swelling, but he refused any medical treatment.

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