A serious rear end collision has resulted in the death of a Southwest Michigan U.S. Postal Service worker delivering mail and the total destruction of the vehicle she was driving at the time of the crash.
Allegan County Sheriff’s Captain Chris Kuhn says that Monday afternoon around 12:30 central dispatchers sent officers to the scene of the crash on 10th Street south of Carrie Avenue in Gun Plains Township, northeast of Gobles.
Kuhns says that upon arrival of fire and police units two vehicles were confirmed to be involved with a pickup truck found in the roadway and the postal vehicle in an adjacent ditch and fully engulfed in flames.
The operator of the postal truck in the ditch was determined to be a member of the US Postal Service and the vehicle she was operating was a US Postal Service vehicle. The vehicle was completely destroyed by fire and the driver was found in the wreckage after the fire was extinguished. She was determined to be dead at the scene.
Initial investigations have determined that the south bound pickup truck driven by a man struck the rear of the postal vehicle as the postal worker was delivering mail from the vehicle at a mailbox.
Kuhns reports that neither alcohol or drugs were immediately believed to be a factor in the crash however toxicology testing will be conducted. The driver of the pickup was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured in the crash. Due to the damage to the postal vehicle authorities were unable to determine whether the driver had used a seatbelt.
Assisting at the scene were Plainwell Department of Public Safety, Plainwell EMS, Gun Plains Fire Department, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The crash remains under investigation at this time. Names of involved drivers will be released at a later time.
*****UPDATE*****UPDATE*****
The deceased driver of the postal service vehicle has been identified as Sheila Gay Rackley, a 55 year old female from the Martin area who worked out of the Plainwell Post Office. Due to the possibility of charges being issued in this case, the name of the pickup driver will not be released until a decision is made by the prosecutor’s office when the investigation is complete.
