A 49-year-old Sturgis man died Tuesday after the vehicle he was driving struck a tree near Featherstone Road and Sevison Road in Florence Township.

Randy Wayne Caruthers was driving his 2001 white Ford F-150 eastbound on Featherstone Road when he lost control of the vehicle, exited the roadway to the right and struck a tree. Speed and alcohol were a factor in the crash, according to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies were assisted at the scene by LifeCare EMS, the Constantine Fire Department, Western Michigan University Medical Examiner’s Office, and Sturgis Tow Company.

Alek Haak-Frost is executive editor of Watershed Voice.