BRANCH COUNTY, MI (WTVB) – It turned out to be a very busy Fourth of July for the Branch County Sheriff’s Department and other emergency agencies.
Besides the motorcycle crash which caused a serious injury in Girard Township earlier in the day, the Sheriff’s Department had to investigate two motorcycle crashes within 40 minutes in the southern part of the county late Saturday afternoon.
The first was reported at about 5:15 p.m. on Southern Road near Flint Road in Kinderhook Township.
The Sheriff’s Department reports a motorcycle driven by 31-year-old Levi Pifer of Fremont, Indiana went off the road at a curve and rolled over.
Pifer suffered minor injuries and later sought medical treatment at ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital. Deputies were assisted by Lifecare Ambulance and the Lakeland Fire Department.
The second crash was reported at about 5:55 p.m. at Southern and Rierson Roads in Noble Township. Deputies say they and Bronson firefighters found a 39-year-old man from Decatur, Indiana semi-conscious when they arrived at the accident scene.
The Sheriff’s Department reports he tried to round a curve on West Southern Road but lost control and went off the road. The motorcycle flipped over and threw the driver into a field.
Deputies say the driver was not wearing a helmet and suffered minor head injuries.
The unidentified driver was taken to ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital and was later arrested and lodged at the Branch County Jail for Operating Under the Influence.
