Three Remain Hospitalized; Details Emerge From Cedar Accident

More details have become available regarding the early Saturday morning accident in Cedar that caused on fatality and multiple injuries. The Leelanau County Sheriffs Office released the following:

Three youths involved in the two car crash Saturday in Centerville Township remained hospitalized at Munson Medical Center Monday. Drake J. Hendershot, 17, of Empire, was the front seat passenger in a vehicle driven by a 16 year-old Lake Leelanau teen. Another 16 year-old from Maple City was in the back seat of the vehicle. All received serious injuries as a result of the crash. Names of the juveniles will not be released by the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office.

The driver of the second vehicle was Brian R. Nachazel, 31, of Cedar. He was headed east on Bodus Road at 12:42am Saturday. His 2004 Ford pickup was struck on the driver's side front corner by a 2005 Nissan that was being driven south on Schomberg Road by the 16 year-old. The Nissan disregarded the stop sign and went through the intersection at a high rate of speed. The impact pushed Nachazel's truck off the southeast corner of the intersection and into a power pole. That impact snapped off the power pole and Nachazel's truck rolled over. He was not restrained and was ejected out of the driver's side window as the vehicle rolled. He died as a result of being thrown from the vehicle.

The impact also caused the Nissan to roll over and leave the roadway on the southeast corner of the intersection, coming to rest on its top. Two of the injured were able to removed by rescue personnel immediately and were transported to Munson Medical Center by Northflight ground and air ambulances. Fire and rescue personnel from Leland Township and Cedar/Solon worked for two hours to extricate the third victim. He was then airlifted to the hospital. Two of the three occupants of the Nissan were not wearing safety belts.

Leelanau County Sheriff's investigators learned that a third vehicle containing friends of the Nissan occupants was following the Nissan. Witnesses in that car said they were trying to drive fast enough on Schomberg Road to "catch air" on the hilly road. They acknowledged that the Nissan did not stop at the stop sign in order to maintain the high speed sought for the "roller coaster effect" The third car was not involved in the crash but came upon it after the collision had sent the two involved vehicles into the field.

Accident reconstructionists from the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office remained on scene investigating the crash until 8:45am. The case remains under investigation pending receipt of toxicology results and further examination of the two vehicles involved in the crash.