The Latest: Names of bicyclists in deadly crash released

COOPER TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Latest on a crash that killed five bicyclists near Kalamazoo, Michigan (all times local):

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4:30 p.m.

The names of five adults killed and four hurt when a pickup truck slammed into a group of bicyclists in the Kalamazoo area have been released.

Authorities say Wednesday that Debra Bradley, Melissa Fevig-Hughes, Fred Nelson, Lorenz Paulik and Suzanne Sippel died at the scene of Tuesday evening’s crash in Cooper Township.

The injured bicyclists are Paul Gobble, Sheila Jeske, Jennifer Johnson and Paul Runnels. They are being treated at area hospitals.

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting has said police received calls of a pickup travelling erratically just prior to the group getting hit.

A 50-year-old western Michigan man was arrested. His name has not been released.

Getting’s office says charges — if any — could be filed as early as Thursday.

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10:40 a.m.

Hospitals in the Kalamazoo area say one person is in critical condition and two more are in serious condition after a pickup truck plowed into a group of bicyclists.

Five people were killed Tuesday night and at least four were injured. The injured are at Bronson Methodist Hospital and Borgess Medical Center.

Borgess spokesman Lew Tysman says one of the four is in fair condition Wednesday.

Police say the 50-year-old pickup driver was driving erratically before hitting the group in Kalamazoo County’s Cooper Township.

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9:15 a.m.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says a crash that killed five bicyclists near a western Michigan park is a senseless tragedy.

Snyder said in a statement Wednesday that his “thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kalamazoo and particularly the cyclists and their families.”

He says “Michiganders as a family are in mourning today as Kalamazoo struggles to understand another senseless tragedy.” Snyder says state police were called to assist in the investigation and will provide all resources possible.

Authorities say a man was driving a pickup erratically before hitting the group. Officials say four other bicyclists suffered serious injuries.

Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday morning that he has no new information on the Cooper Township crash.

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2:20 a.m.

Authorities say they were searching for the driver of a blue pickup truck in the minutes before he plowed into a group of adults bicycling near a western Michigan park.

Kalamazoo Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting said at a news conference Tuesday night that five of the nine bicyclists struck were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Cooper Township.

Getting says the calls made to several area agencies were “over concerns” about the pickup driver’s driving. He says authorities were searching for the driver, but there was no active pursuit at the time of the accident.

The driver is described as a 50-year-old from western Michigan. He was arrested and remains in custody. Getting says his office could make a charging decision by Thursday.