(PORTER TOWNSHIP) – A Mishawaka man was killed in a crash Thursday in Cass County's Porter Township.

Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke says 63 year old Douglas Vankirk was driving east on U.S. 12, just west of Birch Road at 12:46 PM, when he lost control of his vehicle and ran off the road, striking some trees. The automobile stopped and then caught on fire.

The Porter Township Fire and Ambulance arrived at the scene and attempted to pull Vankirk out of the vehicle, but were not successful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Behnke says it's not known if Vankirk was wearing his safety belt at the time of the crash, and the airbags did deploy. The crash is still under investigation.