By Staff
CASSOPOLIS -- A driver died trapped inside a burning vehicle Monday afternoon in Calvin Township.
Cass County Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr. reports that deputies from his office responded to the fatal traffic crash on Union Road, north of Calvin Hill Street, at 3:20 p.m. April 28.
When officers arrived, they found the vehicle on fire and the driver, Manuel Jay Shoemaker, 26, of Elkhart, Ind., trapped inside.
Attempts were made by officers to extinguish the fire, but they were unsuccessful.
The fire was extinguished by Porter Township Fire Department, which also extricated the driver.
The crash occurred as the vehicle was traveling south on Union Road. It lost control and struck a tree at a high rate of speed.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver's name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Alcohol was believed to be a factor in the crash.