BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- The Ionia County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal motorcycle accident, after a downed power line claimed the life of a rider.
Deputies said they responded to West David Highway and Runner Court in Berlin Township just before noon Tuesday, where a landscaping crew trimming trees accidentally brought a tree down onto the power lines. The impact left the live wires draping across the roadway, which a motorcyclist then struck, throwing him from his bike.
He was rushed to Corewell Health Grand Rapids, where he later died from his injuries. Investigators are trying to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.
The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Saranac Fire, Berlin Orange Fire, Life Ambulance, Consumers Energy, and Reed and Hoppes Towing.
It was the second of two unrelated crashes in Ionia County on Tuesday morning. Sheriff's investigators say deputies responded just before 11 a.m. to a farming mishap on Feuerstein Rd and Sparks Rd in Keene Township.
They found a farm implement had started to turn left onto Sparks Rd when a southbound Ford Fiesta attempted to pass in a no-passing zone, allegedly. The Fiesta struck the trailer portion of the farm implement as it was completing the left turn.
Both occupants of the Ford had to be extricated from the vehicle. They were transported to Corewell Health in Grand Rapids in critical condition. The ICSO is still investigating the incident.
It was assisted at the scene by Saranac Fire, Belding Fire, Life Ambulance, U of M Survivor Flight and Reed and Hoppes Towing.
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