KINDERHOOK TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – A motorcyclist from Avilla, Indiana was badly injured Friday afternoon in a crash on southbound I-69 near Pearl Road in Ovid Township.
Branch County Sheriff’s Deputies were told by witnesses that the driver of the motorcycle, later identified as 52-year-old Robert Kimmel, lost control at about 1:25 p.m. while pulling a motorcycle trailer. He then rolled over several times and was found unconscious. Deputies determined Kimmel did not wear a helmet. Sheriff’s deputies assisted the Lakeland Fire Department and Lifecare Ambulance in treating Kimmel.
Kimmel was first taken to ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital before being flown by the Samaritan Helicopter to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne. At last report, Kimmel was in critical condition at the Parkview Memorial Critical Care Trauma unit.
Southbound I-69 was closed for over an hour and traffic was detoured between the Fenn Road and Kinderhook exits because of the crash.
The accident remains under investigation by the Branch County Sheriff’s Department. They were assisted by Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Lakeland Fire Department, and Lifecare Ambulance.
