07-06-2017 Police Reports

Police report

By Annette Christie

Motorcyclists and passenger injured

 The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office located a car vs. motorcycle accident on M-63 near Central Avenue in Hagar Township just after midnight on July 4.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that the male and female from the motorcycle sustained severe injuries and were transported to Lakeland Hospital.  The subjects on the motorcycle were not wearing helmets.  Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the accident.

The subject in the car that was involved did not sustain any injuries.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Team is still investigating this incident.  The names of the individuals involved have not been released, nor have the details on how the accident happened.

Boating accident results in injuries

A 911 call was made to Van Buren County Central Dispatch around two in the afternoon on July 2, reporting that a tube, being pulled by a speed boat, struck a raft (swim platform) on Round Lake.

According to a witness, the boat was towing two people on a tube when another boat in front of them dumped a skier.  The operator of the boat turned the vessel starboard, then port to avoid the skier in the water. In doing so, this action caused the tube to swing out and collide with the raft.  Upon collision, the two passengers on the tube were thrown off of the tube and skidded across the raft, landing in the water.   One of the passengers was injured and was transported to Lakeland Hospital by ambulance.

The operator of the boat, a 52-year-old Dowagiac man, was cited for traveling at greater than no wake speed within 100’ of a dock, raft, or other fixed object.