One woman died and two people were injured last week when a van and a pickup truck collided in an intersection. Officers on the scene said alcohol may have been involved in the accident. The 41-year-old driver of the van died shortly after being airlifted to a University of Michigan Health System hospital.

Officers added that they would know more once they had located the driver of the pickup. The driver, whom police did not identify, fled the scene on foot.

The victim's passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries. That person was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The passenger in the pickup sustained more serious injuries and remained hospitalized following the crash.

Investigators said the van, traveling east, ran a stop sign a few minutes before 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday and drove into the path of the southbound pickup. The impact sent the van into a utility pole on the side of the street. The intersection was closed for several hours.

While police believe the victim may have been drinking before the accident, they will not know for sure until they see the results of the autopsy. They also cannot determine if alcohol was a factor for the pickup driver until they talk to him and find out why he left the accident scene.

Even if the pickup driver were not at fault in the crash, it is a crime in Michigan to leave the scene of an accident that results in injury or death. News outlets have not reported how the police fared in their search for the driver.

Source: The Times Herald, "Police seek driver who fled fatal accident," Julianne Mattera, Feb. 9, 2012