Michigan Brothers Killed After Cars Crash Into Each Other

PAW PAW TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two brothers who shared a home were killed in a head-on traffic collision with each other, police said.

Jessie West, 24, and James West, 33, were killed Sunday in a head-on collision near Paw Paw, not far from their home in Decatur in southwestern Michigan. James West was driving his 1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo north when he lost control and crossed into the path of his brother's oncoming 1988 Dodge Daytona, according to police.

"We've never had anything quite like this," Van Buren County sheriff's Sgt. Virg Franks told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Police said skid marks left at the scene suggested the crash was accidental. Family and friends told police there were no bad feelings between the brothers.

Jessie West was wearing a seat belt and was trapped inside his car when police arrived. James West, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from his car. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph and the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune reported.

Jessie West worked as a supervisor at Gallagher's Eatery & Pub in Paw Paw and left early Sunday, saying he wasn't feeling well. His brother worked as a truck driver and moved into the home about eight months ago, said Jessie's longtime neighbor, Josh Hunsberger.