LINCOLN PARK, Mich. — A Michigan State Police (MSP) Motor Carrier Officer received fatal injuries from a traffic stop in Lincoln Park Friday, MSP said.
MC Officer Daniel Kerstetter, 45, will be taken off life support pending the completion of his family’s decision to donate his organs, MSP said Sunday night.
Kerstetter joined MSP in January of 2023 and graduated from the 26th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School on May 25, 2023.
“We are heartbroken for this loss,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “Traffic enforcement is dangerous work. The dedication of our motor carrier officers and troopers to keeping the public safe on our roadways is commendable and honorable. With the decision to give the gift of life, even in his death, MC Officer Kerstetter is serving others.”
Kerstetter was conducting a traffic stop around 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 13 on the side of northbound I-75 in Lincoln Park when his patrol vehicle was hit by a Ford Explorer.
A preliminary investigation determined that the Explorer ran into the median wall before hitting Kerstetter's patrol vehicle, pushing it into the back of a semi-truck. The driver of the Explorer was killed in the crash and the semi-truck driver was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.