A story broke Tuesday about a 34-year-old Niles man named Scott Yarbrough who was involved in a horrific car accident that morning.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department reported the details about the accident and provided photos from the crash scene, which depicted a mash of glass and metal that at one time resembled a vehicle. His car had left the road that morning; the cause has not been determined.

Yarbrough sustained serious injuries in the crash, which a deputy confirmed on Tuesday as not life-threatening. A relative of the victim later called the Star and reported that Yarbrough sustained a fractured neck, a severely broken wrist or arm and other injuries.

Several photos were submitted to the Star, one of which depicted Yarbrough from the shoulders up seated in the vehicle and a rescue worker assisting him. There was blood on his face, but the extent of his injuries could not be determined by viewing the photo.

For the few readers who visited our website that morning during a brief period, they would have seen the unbelievable damage caused in this accident – the front end of the vehicle was crushed like a tin can, with both airbags deployed. The fact that Yarbrough survived the crash could be called a miracle.

We received many complaints via phone, e-mail and website regarding the photo, which some readers believed was too graphic and should not have been released.  Staff – myself included – made the determination that the photo encompassed best what happened at the crash scene. Had the crash been a fatal one, or if we had learned the victim may not survive the crash, we would not have run the photo.

However, due to the number of complaints, which we believe detracted from the story, we removed the photo and replaced it with one that did not show the victim. It should be pointed out that another family member told the Star he did not believe the photo was too graphic for print.

Photographs document news, whether it’s in newspapers, on TV or on the Internet. Our job is to print the news for public record and information. We will not censor all accident victim photos; however, not all photos will make the Web or print editions, and we take each one on a case-by-case basis.

Katie Johnson is the managing editor of the Niles Daily Star, Cassopolis Vigilant and Edwardsburg Argus. She can be reached at (269) 687-7713 or at katie.johnson@leaderpub.com.