Deputies identify driver killed in crash on U.S. 12

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. - Deputies with the Berrien County Sheriff's Office have identified the driver killed in a crash on U.S. 12 on Thursday.

Deputies identified the victim as 51-year-old Scott Lightner of Hammond, Indiana.

At 11:44 a.m. on January 26, Lightner was driving east on U.S. 12 in a SUV, following a semi.

When he tried to pass the semi after cresting a hill, Lightner allegedly lost control and ran off the road, nearly hitting a guardrail.

Lightner regained control of the vehicle as it pulled back onto the road but was hit head-on by a westbound semi, reports said.

After the initial collision, the semi pushed the SUV backwards, sliding it off into a deep embankment.

The semi rolled on its side and came to a stop on top of the SUV in the embankment.

The driver of the semi was not injured.

Wet and slushy roads appear to be a factor in the crash.