Victim of fatal crash at Silver Lake State Park identified

MEARS, Mich. — The Oceana County Sheriff’s Office has released more information shedding light on the crash that killed a 20-year-old Coopersville man Sunday evening at Silver Lake State Park.

According to troopers, Braden VanPutten was riding his ATV in an off-road vehicle area between Lake Michigan and a place dune enthusiasts call “Sunset Hill” when he collided with a side-by-side vehicle carrying a 36-year-old male driver and a 14-year-old male motorcyclist.

The dispatcher said the 20-year-old was unconscious and not breathing when the call came in. Park rangers were performing CPR when deputies arrived, but VanPutten died at the scene.

The teen was taken to Trinity Health Mercy Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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“We do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in this incident. Our deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims of this tragedy,” the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office told FOX 17 in a statement Tuesday morning.

This is the second fatal accident involving off-road vehicles at Silver Lake State Park this year. Kadie Price, 33, was killed over Memorial Day weekend when the driver of another vehicle lost control and hit her vehicle.

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The driver of this accident will not be held criminally liable.