(KEELER TOWNSHIP) – A one vehicle crash claimed the life of the driver.

According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched at 6:30 PM Monday to the 69,000 block of 84th Avenue in Keeler Township. They arrived and discovered a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air that crashed into a tree.

First responders say they had difficulty getting to the driver, because of a very aggressive dog that was inside the vehicle. Once they got to the driver, identified only as a 54 year old Dowagiac man, they found him to be
unresponsive.

First responders tried life saving measures on the man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators says it’s possible the driver lost control of his vehicle due to a partially flooded gravel road surface that went between two bodies of water. The water was flowing across the road at the time of the crash.

Deputies say the older model vehicle did not have any modern day safety equipment, like airbags and seatbelts. It’s been speculated alcohol may have been a factor in the crash, which is still under investigation.