Driver seriously injured in crash on Pardee Road

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- A female driver was seriously injured in a crash on S. Pardee Road near Sawyer Road early Saturday morning, according to the Berrien County Sheriff's Office.

Multiple police agencies and fire departments responded to the scene just before 7 a.m.

A vehicle went off the road and struck a tree, reports said.

The 20-year-old driver was extricated from the vehicle by Weesaw and Lake Township Fire Department personnel. She was transported to the hospital by ambulance, then later taken by helicopter to a hospital in Kalamazoo.

Deputies said speed was a factor and the driver was not wearing her seat belt.

The crash remains under investigation.