gjaehnig@mininggazette.com
HOUGHTON A three-vehicle personal injury accident (PIA) on Friday afternoon caused the death of one driver, injured another, and closed M-26 between the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and Sharon Avenue for several hours.
According to the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to scene on Memorial Road, near the Houghton Canal Road at approximately 12:30 p.m.
A preliminary investigation determined that that a passenger vehicle, driven by David Sundberg, 73, of Ahmeek, was southbound on M-26 near the Canal Road, when he lost control of his vehicle and crossed into the path of a northbound Houghton Building Supply delivery truck driven by 56-year-old Leroy Bonds, of Hubbell.
That didnât work.
And with the winter solstice two weeks away, dark comes early to the Elkhorn Mountains.
Besides which, the couple, unfamiliar with the area, didnât know how far they might have to hike to reach safety.
The nearest home was in reality about 19 miles away.
âWalking wasnât viable,â Belknap, 28, said in a phone interview Tuesday evening.
The coupleâs other option happened to be orbiting the Earth about 870 miles up.
Belknap and McDonald, in addition to their camping gear, had brought along a Garmin GPS unit equipped with an inReach satellite connection. By pressing a button on the device, they sent a signal, via a network of orbiting satellites, that alerted law enforcement that they needed help. The signal also pinpointed their location.