Teen dies in sled crash in western Michigan’s Allegan County

The victim is 15-year-old Mason Dykstra.

The Allegan County sheriff’s department said Dykstra was sledding with his family when the accident happened Saturday in his family’s yard in Manilus Township near Hamilton, about 45 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. That’s west of the community of Hamilton.

Just before midnight they say the sled slammed into a tree on private property in the 53-hundred block of 133rd Avenue. Deputies say he was being towed on a sled behind an SUV driven by his 19 year old brother. The teen played on the school’s football team, and one of Dykstra’s brothers still attends the school. Their mother works for the school district. School Superintendent David Tebo says Mason was “the kid next door”, WOOD-TV reports. “Just a kid with a smile on his face – normal, everyday kid”.

Students and staff gathered Sunday at Hamilton High School to remember Dykstra. “When it’s a 15-year-old boy in the prime of his high school career … it’s even more hard”, Tebo said.

New details about the tragic accident were released Monday morning by the Allegan County Sheriff.