Dowagiac woman involved in fatal accident

Published 11:08 am Friday, June 5, 2015

A 3-year-old boy was killed Wednesday night after he was struck a vehicle driven by a Dowagiac woman in Berrien County, according to a news release from Benton Township Police.

According to authorities, township police officers responded to an accident call around 9:43 p.m. that night at the Berrien Homes complex, near the intersection of Crystal Court and Council Drive outside Benton Harbor. At the scene, police discovered that a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 van, operated by 52-year-old Teri Janel Abiney, had struck a 3-year-old child riding a bicycle at the property.

The child was transported by Medic 1 to Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Specialists with the township police were called in to reconstruct the scene to investigate the incident.

Officers have determined that alcohol or speed were not factors in the accident.

As of Thursday, no charges had been filed in regards to accident. The incident remains under investigation, which upon completion will be forwarded to the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office for review.