They Came Upon a Crash. The Next One Was Worse

The tight-knit community of Ultimate Frisbee is in mourning after three professional players suffered fatal injuries in a car crash in Michigan over the weekend. Kevin Coulter, 29; Andrew Piet, 28; and Michael Cannon, 24—all members of the Detroit Mechanix, which is to begin its season in the 22-team American Ultimate Disc League next month—were driving from Grand Rapids to Detroit for practice around 7pm Saturday when they came upon the scene of a crash on I-96 in Ionia County, reports MLive. Piet, who was driving a 2005 Toyota Camry, slowed down. But the vehicle behind him, a 2018 Honda CR-V, didn't, state police said Tuesday. Officers said the CR-V—driven by a 34-year-old Detroit man, who was uninjured—struck the Camry, which was propelled into the back of a 2019 Jeep Compass.

Coulter, described as one of the best players in the country, died immediately in the back seat, reports Detroit News. Piet and front passenger Cannon were pronounced dead at area hospitals. Cannon—who only began practicing with the team this year, per Ultiworld—remained on life support for organ donations as of Tuesday. A passenger in the Honda and two in the Jeep were injured, per MLive. "As a community, we are all still in shock at the unfair passing of these remarkable individuals, and would like to offer as much help and support as we can to the families," reads a statement from Grand Rapids Ultimate. Piet's mother says she's heartbroken but overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. "I had no idea that this was such a family, and I'm so glad that Drew was a part," she says, per People. (More Michigan stories.)