On May 9, at approximately 7:30 a.m., police and fire personnel from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety and Grandville Police responded to the area of 28th Street near Clydon Avenue on a report of a head-on collision involving two vehicles.
When officers arrived they located two patients, an unresponsive 7-year-old female and a 31-year-old male both with serious injuries. The uninjured driver remained at the scene to speak with police. the injuries driver and child were both transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety’s Accident Investigation and Forensic Services Units are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Wyoming Police at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
Kent County Sheriff’s Department
At 2:30 a.m. this morning, a homeowner called 911 stating three suspects were checking car doors in the neighborhood along South Park Drive SW. Deputies arrived in the area and located the vehicle described by the homeowner and attempted to stop it. The vehicle fled from deputies but ran over spike strips just down the road. A pursuit continued up Kalamazoo Avenue nail the driver lost control and came to a stop along Kalamazoo Avenue near 52nd Street.
One occupant ran away and a second was arrested in the vehicle. The vehicle itself was stolen form Plainfield Township on May 3. Inside the deputies located two pistols along with cash and other items stolen from vehicles. An 18-year-old Grand Rapids man was arrested on charges related to the case. The other suspect remains outstanding.
This follow a similar incident Monday morning in Byron Township. At 6 a.m., KCSO dispatch received multiple calls of suspects breaking int o cars in the area of Marshwood Court SW. Two vehicles fled from deputies, which were later found at 68th Street and Clyde Park Avenue. As deputies closed in they located four suspects running form the cars, who were all apprehended (ages 15, 16, and two 17-year-old males from Grand Rapids). Three stolen vehicles in total were recovered.
According to a statement released by the Kent County Sheriff’s Department “We continue to see the brazen action of these suspects continue. Please keep your firearms, keys, and cash out of your vehicles. All areas of Kent County are being targeted.”
At approximately 2:50 p.m. on April 17, 2023, police and fire personnel from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety assisted by The City of Grandville Police and Fire Departments responded to the 2300 block of Indian Mounds on the report of a suspicious object, believed to be a human body, floating in The Grand River.
When officers arrived, they located a deceased subject in the water. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team responded to assist with the underwater recovery of the body. The subject has been preliminarily identified as a 36-year-old male from the Grandville area.
The Kent County Medical Examiner’s office has performed an autopsy and ruled the subject’s death an accidental drowning. The individual was identified as 36-year-old Matthew Hinton from the Kent County Area. Wyoming Department of Public Safety Detectives are still investigating the circumstances that brought Matthew into the waters of the Grand River.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma WKTV Managing Editor joanne@wktv.org
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety were called to two homicides this weekend and an accident that resulted in its fire engine being hit.
Homicide, Suicide on March 31
On March 31, officers from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to a 911 call from a residence in the 3000 block of Buchanan Avenue shortly after 7:30 a.m. When officers arrived, they discovered two deceased males who both had gunshot wounds in the driveway of the residence.
Andrew Gil, 25, was located inside a vehicle parked in the driveway, and Louis Gonzales, 30, was found in the driveway near the car. A handgun was recovered from the scene.
According to a report released today, based on evidence collected at the scene and autopsy findings from the Kent County Medical Examiner’s Office, investigating officers have concluded that this incident was a tragic homicide followed by a suicide. It has been determined that Gonzalez shot and killed Gil before turning the gun on himself and taking this own life.
Gonzalez and Gil are related and evidence of a dispute between the two has come to light during the course of the investigation.
Shooting on 44th Street
On April 2, police and fire personnel from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to a shooting in the 200 block of 44th Street SW at approximately 2 a.m.
When officers arrived, they located Isaia Mojica, 24, who had been shot. Mojica was given aid by first responders and transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Officers were then notified that another male suffering from gunshot wounds was dropped off at a local hospital. It is believed that this person was injured during the shooting on 44th Street. His injuries are non-life-threatening. The other occupants of the vehicle that dropped him off left immediately.
According to initial witness statements this incident began as a physical altercation involving several individuals. The shooting began during this altercation and multiple people fired shots. A handgun was recovered from the scene.
Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident and would like to speak to anyone who has any information.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Wyoming Police at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345 or 1-866-774-2345.
Fire Engine Damaged in US-131 Accident
On April 2 at around 2:45 a.m., police and fire personnel from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety was assisting the Michigan State Police Department on a rollover crash on US-131 south of 44th Street.
While at the scene, the Wyoming fire engine and a Michigan State Police car were struck by two separate vehicles. No one was hurt.
The accidents are being investigated by the Michigan State Police.
Officials from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety stated they are still assessing the extent of the damage to the engine. The department may not know anything for about month, but the preliminary damage does appear to be significant, according to the department officials.
The juvenile pedestrian who was struck on the morning of March 14 by a vehicles, has died, the Wyoming Department of Public Safety reported.
The juvenile died March 28 from injuries that resulted from the crash. On March 14, Wyoming police and fire personal responded at 6:55 a.m. to the area 44th Street SW and Byron Center Avenue on a report that a juvenile pedestrian was struck by a vehicle.
Investigators continue to look into the circumstances surrounding this accident. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash are ask to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Investigative Division at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345 or 1-866-774-2345.
Car seats and boosters can save lives. Just ask this family – The Smith kids, Olivia (4), Blake and Evan (1) get ready for a road trip. The Smith family, Ben and Janna, and kids Olivia, Blake and Evan, 1. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
In 2011, Janna Smith was riding in the back seat of the car with 4-month-old daughter, Olivia. Her husband, Ben, was driving when they were hit broadside by another car. The impact took place on Olivia’s side.
“I could see the base and carrier of Olivia’s car seat move slightly with the impact but then return to its original position, which was exactly what it was designed to do in an accident,” Janna explained.
While Janna suffered some painful injuries, Olivia was unharmed. And it was her car seat that saved her. While that’s a happy ending, the story doesn’t end there.
Always count on change
Fast forward to 2014.
After many struggles to become pregnant with Olivia, Janna and Ben decided to try for a sibling. They focused on their appreciation of Olivia, no matter what the future held.
When they found out they were having twins, they couldn’t have been happier. Nearly as surprising was how complicated it became to find a new car that would fit all three kids across one bench seat.
The Smiths knew from their scary accident how important it would be to have that row of car seats lined up in rock-solid, life-saving perfection.
“We looked at so many cars,” Janna said. “Will three car seats fit? No kids in the way back. Is there enough cargo room? Scratch that one, it’s got a console in the middle. Can it tow our trailer?”
Finally, they found a used Lincoln Navigator that fit the bill.
Brothers Evan and Blake, were born five weeks early on April 24, 2014. They spent their early weeks in the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Did Janna and Ben assume the knowledge they already had was up to snuff when it was time to take the new babies home?
“No way,” Janna said. “You can’t leave anything to chance. We knew all too well from our accident with Olivia how important it is to have everything snapped and perfectly adjusted. She was safe from the direct hit because the straps were adjusted for her body. You can’t underestimate the value of that, which is why we still have our seats checked as the kids grow. How do you know they are buckled right? You go to the pros. We’re on a first-name basis.”
What you might not know
While awareness of proper child restraint use in cars has increased, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration still estimates that about 75 percent of child seats and boosters are improperly installed in family vehicles.
The Smiths considered themselves lucky to be part of the positive 25 percent.
In the Smiths’ case, and for all families whose babies are going home after a NICU stay, there is extra assurance that all is well. NICU babies must pass a car seat test with monitors attached, before they can be discharged from the hospital. This automatically ensures that NICU parents receive expert guidance from the first ride home. But every healthy baby going home is just as precious, and help is easy to find.
So, before Evan and Blake got to check out of the hospital, the Smiths consulted the experts at Helen DeVos Injury Prevention program, with Olivia and the two new car seats. They learned how to get all three seats properly secured on the bench seat and confirm how to assess strap and buckle placement for each child.
“It’s not just about the car seat user manual, either,” Janna added. “Look in your car’s owner’s manual to confirm how your vehicle is designed to work with infant/child safety seats. At the Safe Kids car seat safety check events, they thoroughly install your seat in your car with your kids. They installed an additional convertible car seat in my mom’s conversion van, too. If grandparents or babysitters will be transporting your kids, their vehicles are just as important.” To get started, watch our video on how to properly secure your baby in the car seat.
If possible, plan for each car to have its own car seats. If that’s not an option, make sure everyone who is moving the seats from one car to the next is completely educated on the details. If in doubt, stop in at a local fire department to have the seats checked or to be installed in the other vehicle before transporting. Having little ones safe at every trip, in every vehicle is critical.
Today, Olivia Smith is a charming, precocious 4-year-old. She loves her role as big sister of her equally adorable twin brothers, who just turned 1 year. And Ben and Janna Smith enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing their kids are as safe as can be, every trip, every car, every time.
By Krystle Wagner, Spectrum Health Beat; photos by Chris Clark
As her graduating classmates celebrated accomplishments and looked forward to the future, Angela Maurer focused on one thing.
Regaining the ability to walk.
In high school, Maurer stayed active in cross country, basketball and track. She served on student council, in the National Honor Society, in the Business Professionals of America, and, an avid horseback rider, as president of her 4-H club.
She was an achiever, in every sense of the word.
And since running had been part of her life since middle school, Maurer planned to join the cross country team at Aquinas College in the fall of 2014.
Everything changed in her final week of high school.
The crash
On May 22, 2014, Maurer, then 18, was behind the wheel of her Chevy Tahoe, with her younger brother, Nathan, in the passenger seat.
Photo courtesy of Angela Maurer
They had just left the house. When Maurer made a left turn out of the driveway of her family’s home in Williamston, Michigan, she forgot to check her blind spot.
An oncoming SUV broadsided her Tahoe at about 60 mph. Although Maurer’s brother managed to walk away with minor injuries, Maurer sustained serious injuries that would change her life.
Initially, she didn’t even understand the severity of her trauma. She remembers telling her mom she could move her toes, and asking her mom if that was a good thing.
“The entire dash was on my lap,” Maurer recalled.
An ambulance rushed her to the hospital, where an initial evaluation provided more uncertainty. The left side of her pelvis shattered upon impact and her neck had fractured.
Given the extent of the trauma, doctors couldn’t say if she would ever walk again.
Hearing that, Maurer became motivated to make a full recovery.
“It drove me to prove them wrong, push myself harder,” she said.
The work to recover began immediately. Each day for three weeks, she would undergo four therapy sessions—one hour of physical therapy and one hour of occupational therapy followed by half-hour sessions of each.
She first entered therapy on a Tuesday, making a goal of attending her high school graduation ceremony that Sunday.
Maurer remembers the pain when she first arrived at therapy. She needed two people to help her get up. But she was clearly motivated, Rusiecki recalled.
The young woman progressed from learning how to sit up in bed to getting into a wheelchair. When she sat up in bed, her head spun and she couldn’t focus on anything.
Maurer said it was hard to visualize how she would ever reach her goal and someday run again, but her family encouraged her to keep going.
Progress came incrementally.
After days of persevering through pain, she joined her classmates in celebrating high school graduation. As Maurer’s brother pushed her wheelchair across the stage, the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
Hitting that milestone was emotional, Maurer said. In that moment, she saw the volume of love and support behind her, even as she continued her recovery about an hour-and-a-half away from her hometown.
Her accomplishments didn’t stop there. In two more weeks of therapy, she progressed from a walker to crutches.
Although some days proved to be more challenging than others—she remembers being plagued by soreness—the hurdles became easier to clear once she could walk with crutches.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Through occupational therapy, she learned how to get out of bed, shower and use the restroom without assistance. In physical therapy, she learned how to get in and out of cars, walk down stairs and walk across different terrains with her crutches.
When therapists released Maurer from inpatient therapy on June 9, less than a month after the crash, she could walk more than 1,000 feet with crutches over various terrain. She could also maneuver a flight of steps as long as she kept the weight off her left foot, Rusiecki said.
Returning home, Maurer became single-mindedly focused on one goal: Running again.
The finish line
Her medical team cleared Maurer to stop using crutches two days before freshman orientation at Aquinas College. She then worked toward her goal, one step at a time.
“Everything was worth it in the long run,” she said.
Before she got the OK to run, she spent time cross-training, biking and exercising on the elliptical to build up her strength. Six months after the crash, doctors approved her to begin running again.
In November 2014, she become an active member of the cross country team, where her teammates heard her story and greeted her with enthusiastic support.
“They remind me how I’m a walking miracle, and it’s like a blessing to be able to run again,” she said.
In May 2015, a year after the crash, Maurer visited staff at the Center for Acute Rehabilitation to show them her progress.
“It was very exciting to see her again,” Rusiecki said.
Maurer said she’s now in the best shape she’s ever been in. And her experience is shaping the trajectory of her life not just in physical recovery, but in academic prowess.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Prior to the crash, she had planned to study either occupational or physical therapy. Given her experience, she has decided to study physical therapy, in hopes of one day working with athletes who may find themselves in similar situations.
She can relate to athletes whose injuries might temporarily keep them from doing what they love. She can help them persevere to reach their goals, and help them return to their passions.
Despite the challenges, Maurer said the journey has made her thankful for every day. Thankful for everything she has. Thankful for still being alive.
For others going through their own struggles and journeys, Maurer, now 20, recommends keeping a positive mindset, because negativity will only make things more challenging.
UPDATE: 36th Street was reopened in the evening of Thursday, Sept. 29.
Motorists are being asked to stay away from 36th Street for the next couple of hours due to a crash investigation at 36th and Wyoming Avenue.
On Thursday, Sept. 29, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to the report of a serious vehicle traffic crash on 36th Street SW and Wyoming Avenue. The crash occurred when a west bound vehicle driven by a 79-year-old male from Wyoming turned left in front of an east bound vehicle driven by a 43-year-old female from Cedar Springs. The 79-year-old male was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The initial investigation indicates that the male driver may have been having a medical condition prior to the crash.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
Most people would agree that we live in a fast-paced world. Aided by advances in technology, many spend their days hurriedly going from task to task while continually monitoring their social media sites like Twitter and Facebook so as not to miss anything important that may be trending. We have calendars and reminders on our phones, as well as the old paper versions that hang from refrigerators and file cabinets.
This sense of “living in the moment” leaves some with the inability to see beyond the next day, the next week, or the next year. Choosing financial goals and estate planning should be of utmost importance for the future of your family or business.
However, if you are like me, planning for the future may be one of those things that you continually put off until tomorrow. One never knows what tomorrow holds and routine daily life can change in the blink of an eye.
Heidi Hilton knows this lesson well. In August 2000 she was walking with her 2 year-old daughter, Ember, near the intersection of Dutton Road and Hammond Avenue. In an instant that would change her life forever, Hilton and her daughter were hit from behind by a drunk driver. Ember was thrown into a ditch. Heidi was thrown into the road. The driver sped off, not even stopping to see the damage he had wrought.
Heidi Hilton’s life changed when she and her daughter were hit by a drunk driver
Hilton woke in the hospital with no memory of the accident. In fact, she had no memory of her husband, Zan, who was at her bedside. Although she sustained no broken bones, Hilton suffered from a severe closed head injury as well as broken vertebrae in her neck. Her daughter, she was told, also had a closed head injury, but would recover. She did not remember her daughter, or her 2 sons, Hunter (10) and Marshall (8).
“He took my life away for 5 years,” said Hilton, “That day changed my life forever.”
The day of the accident, students from Dutton Christian were running for track practice on Dutton Road and had witnessed the event as well as taken down the license plate number.
An 86-year old man was tracked down and found with a blood alcohol level of 1.9 at 3:30 in the afternoon. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison.
Hilton was not involved in his trial and turned her anger at him into determination to regain her life. “I was bound and determined not to let this affect me,” she states. Her energy was put into physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and helping her daughter through the same. She made it a priority to return to work as soon as possible. It was a long road, but it had its bright spots. “I got to discover my husband and fall in love with him all over again.”
With a 15-year history as an investment planner, Hilton had worked with many individuals and families in times of crisis and times of estate management. She knew the lesson that life could not be taken for granted.
Unfortunately, Hilton again suffered a head injury in an auto accident in 2008. She again faced long hours of therapy. Hilton now felt a new urgency to convince others that life is fragile and people need to look to the future including finances, business investment, and family relations.
She set a personal goal of attaining her Master’s degree in Management. After obtaining her degree from Davenport University in 2012, Hilton and her partner, Craig Coughlin, who had more than 20 years of financial expertise, brought their talents together in the Thornapple River Group.
Thornapple River Group, co-founded by Hilton, helps plan finances for the future
The vision statement of the Thornapple River Group includes providing facilitated services using an integrated team of experts to achieve goals and to preserve the quality of life they desire. For high net-worth individuals, this includes business succession, estate planning, debt management, as well as concierge services such as travel arrangements, household management, personal shopping, and security services.
“I live each day with intention,” shares Hilton, “Each day I work to help someone accomplish goals.”
Both she and Coughlin are very involved in volunteerism and philanthropy. It is an essential part of their business supporting groups such as Rotary International, Van Andel Institute, and the International Student Foundation. In 2014 they became a “family office,” serving as “family officers” for those needing assistance with financial, as well as family, business, and organizational goals. Hilton’s husband, Zan, also assists clients with property management and estate holdings through his business, Thornapple Consulting.
Hilton sees herself as coming full circle since the accident in 2000. She still lives with chronic pain and slight cognitive and memory issues, but she is proud of her accomplishments. Hilton’s life philosophy now is living with an “attitude of gratitude.” She is grateful for her husband’s patience and for the tight bond she shares with her daughter due to their shared experience.
“We are all dealt a hand,” she states, “It is up to you to make the cards work.”
She stresses that no one knows what the future holds, but we do have the ability to plan, to invest, and to organize so that when a sudden death, an unexpected diagnosis, or a life-altering accident happens we are prepared.
Have you been putting off making a will? Planning your estate? Setting financial goals? Perhaps now is the time to get moving because no one knows what tomorrow may hold.
