Deputies: Alcohol a factor in fatal accident in Berrien Township

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Early Tuesday morning, the Berrien County Sheriff's Department responded to an accident at Pucker Street and Smith Road in Berrien Township.

Officers arrived on scene and determined a 1978 Ford pickup was driving northbound on Pucker Street at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control, left the road and struck a tree.

Inside the truck, officers found 19-year-old Carley Jean Hartman deceased in the passenger seat.

Nearby they found a 20-year-old man with visible injuries.

He was taken to Lakeland Hospital and was placed under arrest.

He faces a charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants causing death.

Officers said speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the accident.

The suspect's name will be released when he is formally charged.