PAW PAW (WKZO-AM) — A 50-year-old professional driver from Wayland has been charged with a pair of reckless driving felonies after Van Buren County prosecutors say he caused a deadly pileup on Interstate 94 near Paw Paw while texting in his semitrailer.
Michael Baird is free on a personal-recognizance bond after the wreck last September that killed 72-year-old retired Chicagoland dentist James Hastings. Hastings’ wife was also seriously hurt in the crash.
Investigators claim Baird failed to slow in the construction zone near Exit 60 when he struck the rear of the SUV that was being driven by Hastings, which then crashed into four other vehicles and another semitrailer.
A preliminary hearing is set for April 5.
