Andrews University graduate dies in Thursday morning crash

Published 9:44 am Monday, December 3, 2018

NILES — A 24-year-old Andrews University graduate  died after suffering fatal injuries in a car crash Thursday morning, according to Berrien County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Thad Chartrand.

Emergency responders were dispatched at 11:39 a.m. to U.S. 12 at the end of the off ramp to U.S. 31 southbound. 

According to police, the accident occurred when a pickup truck driven by 39-year-old Thomas Doyle, of South Bend, was headed west on U.S. 12 and struck a vehicle that had just ramped off of US 31 Bypass southbound. 

The southbound vehicle, a Chrysler Sebring, was driven by An-na Kim. Her vehicle was hit in the driver’s door. Both vehicles came to rest in the median. Kim suffered fatal injuries in the crash.

Kim is a graduate of Andrews University in Berrien Springs and is originally from Korea. She was in an internship with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Deputies were able to make notification to her father and sister in Korea with the assistance of the Andrews University Police Department and a Korean interpreter. Berrien County crash investigators believe that Kim may have pulled out into the path of the pickup truck.

Responding agencies to the scene included Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Crash Unit, Pokagon Tribal Police, SMACS ambulance, Bertrand Township Fire, Andrews University Security Police.

The crash is still under investigation. Police said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors in this crash.