KALKASKA — A two-vehicle crash involving an armored law enforcement vehicle left one person critically injured early Monday morning at the intersection of M-72 and US-131 in the village of Kalkaska.
Per a Sept. 2 news release, the crash happened at about 5:53 a.m. Sept. 1, when a Grand Traverse County sheriff’s deputy was driving eastbound on M-72 in a Lenco Bearcat armored vehicle while responding to a barricaded suspect involved in a shooting complaint.
At the north traffic light in Kalkaska, the Bearcat struck the driver’s side of a northbound Hyundai Tucson operated by Patrick Morlan, 61, of Big Rapids.
Both vehicles came to rest in the intersection. Rescue crews from the Kalkaska Township Fire Department and Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Office responded.
Morlan sustained serious injuries and was transported to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, where he is listed in critical condition. His passenger, Alexandria Cousineau, 25, of Eaton Rapids, suffered minor injuries and was also transported to Munson for treatment.
The crash remains under investigation, according to Kalkaska County Sheriff Pat Whiteford.