Incident Date: 9/1/2024 Incident Location: Silver Lake State Park, 8960 W Fox Rd, Mears. Approved by: Undersheriff Ryan Schiller
OCEANA COUNTY — On Sept. 1 at 5:44 pm, Oceana County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call for an ORV accident at the Silver Lake State Park ORV Area. The ORV crash involved a 20-year-old Coopersville man who suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, they said.
The man was operating a Honda 450 quad when he collided with a Can-Am Side-by-side, deputies said.
The original caller to Mason-Oceana 911 told dispatchers that a person had dumped their vehicle, was unconscious and not breathing. When deputies arrived on scene, Silver Lake State Park rangers were doing CPR, deputies said. Life EMS and Hart Area Fire Department also responded to the scene. AeroMed was initially put on stand-by for the incident but did not respond.
The Can-Am was driven by a 36-year-old Milan man who had a 14-year-old male from South Rockwood as a passenger in the vehicle, deputies said.
The 14-year-old suffered non-life threatening injures from the crash and was taken to Trinity Health Mercy Hospital for treatment, deputies said.
The crash occurred in the northwest area of the ORV area between the Lake Michigan beach and an area known to dune enthusiasts as “Sunset Hill.”
Deputies do not believe alcohol or drugs to be a factor in this accident.