KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM/FM) — Kalamazoo Public Safety has confirmed the name of the at-fault driver who died after he raced into a busy intersection on Sunday, crashing into two other vehicles.
Lt. Brad Misner said it will be 6 to 8 weeks before they will know if 27-year-old Travis Wiley Gates of Portage was intoxicated when he drove his bright yellow Chevrolet Cobalt into traffic at Burdick and Cork streets. They are running a series of tests to try to determine what happened.
Investigators are also waiting for one of the passengers who was in the car with Gates, and suffered life-threatening injuries, to be able to speak with them.
Michigan State Police forensics technicians are expected to download the black box from the Cobalt this week, which should indicate his speed and when and if he pressed on the brakes, or whether he had it floored before the fatal collision.
Gates had a criminal history. He served time for assault, methamphetamine and fleeing and eluding police.
Police are saying that it’s fortunate that there weren’t more deaths and serious injuries.
