Family remembers victim of deadly Aurelius Township crash

McKoy Scribner
·2 min read
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HOLT, Mich. (WLNS) – A sister’s bond in unbreakable, and for Hilarie Johnson, losing her sister, Makenna Morse, was devastating.

Morse and her 3-year-old daughter were involved in a two-vehicle crash on April 21 at the intersection of College Rd. and Columbia Rd. in Aurelius Township.

The young mother passed away at the hospital, while her daughter and the driver of the other vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo

“She was very active in our lives. She was a sister, a mother, an aunt,” Johnson said.

Her family added that Morse was a light in the community, especially in Eaton Rapids Public Schools, where she was a teacher.

Looking back, Johnson said she wished that she could’ve done things differently.

“In hindsight, we should have been closer, like I should have tried harder to be there for her. And that’s the hard part is thinking about what you should have done,” Johnson said.

But moving forward, Johnson added, the entire family will make an effort to come together more often in hopes that Morse’s memory isn’t forgotten.

The family is also calling on the Ingham County Road Department to take a deeper look into crashes like these at the intersection and make a change.

“Just hopefully that they take this into consideration when they look at the crashes that happen there, the accidents, deaths, injuries, all of it, maybe make a change to that so it doesn’t happen,” Johnson said.

Morse’s brother, Jaden Dietz, added that it’s not just the intersection, it’s the fact that we all need to be more aware when we’re behind the wheel.

“Driving is a huge responsibility and no one else is looking out on the road for you except for yourself. And we all, as people who drive every day, have a responsibility to also look out for those on the road other than ourselves,” he said.

Since the crash, the Ingham County Road Department has added additional stop signs on north and southbound College Rd. with a reminder that Columbia Rd. traffic does not stop.

They also are conducting traffic data to see if the intersection meets the needs for other changes.

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