Sheriff reviews ORV modifications in deadly dunes crash

An undated courtesy photo of Kadie Price. (Kent County Sheriff's Office)

GOLDEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The Oceana County Sheriff's Department is investigating whether modifications to a dunes racing Jeep played a role in a crash that killed a West Michigan mom at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.

“It’s not to get milk,” Sheriff Craig Mast said, referring to the custom Jeep that caused the crash. deadly collision Sunday morning. “There’s a reason we don’t drive to Meijer.”

Kadie Price, 33, died after the modified Jeep accelerated rapidly on the dunes “drag strip” before flipping and spinning out of control, according to Mast.

Kadie and her husband saw the Jeep coming, Mast told News 8 Wednesday, and ran in opposite directions to try to avoid it. At the last second, Mast said, Kadie managed to pull her 2-year-old daughter to safety.

That's when the red Jeep, shown in a photo provided by the sheriff's department, struck Price's yellow vehicle, causing it to hit Price as well as a motorcycle and pickup truck parked on the other side of her.

Mast discussed the jeep's level of modification in an interview with News 8, noting that the vehicle was “very customized,” with racing fuel, a modified braking system and a five-point harness seat belt. If it is determined that the level of customization contributed significantly to the accident, Mast said those modifications could have constituted recklessness.

“Someone made the obvious choice to modify this vehicle to improve its performance on the drag strip,” commented Mast. “This investigation deserves all of our due diligence and due process.”

He said investigators do not believe alcohol played a role in the crash, although they are awaiting toxicology results from the driver of the Jeep, a 64-year-old man whose name has not been released. . Toxicology testing is standard procedure and Mast said the driver is cooperating with the investigation.

The sheriff also noted that the dunes' “test and adjustment” area, known as the “dredging strip,” sees “very few” serious accidents given the number of people who visit it.

“This part of the dunes is very popular,” said Mast, who doesn’t remember a previous death at the drag strip.

However, this is not the case for other areas of the dunes.

“If we have no deaths on the dunes in a season, that’s a great year,” Mast said, noting that the dunes welcome between 1.8 and 2 million visitors a year.

In 2021, the state banned dune drag racing, causing an outcry from many enthusiasts of the activity. State lawmakers passed a bill making it legal again, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed it.

The Department of Natural Resources, which manages Silver Lake State Park where the dunes are located, said it would conduct an assessment of the accident.

There are no barriers between the drag strip and the spectators, but there are several rules and regulations designed for safety.

Among them: Vehicles traveling in the dunes must display an ORV permit, an ORV trail permit and a recreational passport. They must also display a rectangular orange safety flag (10 feet high when stationary and 8 feet when moving) that is bolted, welded or attached to the vehicle. Drivers must have a valid, unrestricted driver's license, but 12-year-olds with an ORV safety certificate can operate a 4-wheel ATV or 2-wheel bicycle under adult supervision.

The state also requires that vehicles be equipped with lights, personal seat belts and rollover protection, and that drivers must wear safety glasses, helmets and protective gear, among other regulations .