CADILLAC - Michigan State Police said that Motor Carrier Officer Daniel Kerstetter with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division will be removed from life support pending the completion of his family’s decision to donate his organs.
Kerstetter was not able to overcome injuries he suffered as a result of a Sept. 13 on-duty traffic crash, troopers said.
Kerstetter, 45, joined the MSP in January 2023, graduating as a member of the 26th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School on May 25, 2023. He was assigned to the Metro North Post. Kerstetter was married and has three children.
“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.”
Around 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, Kerstetter was stopped on the side of northbound I-75 near Dix in Lincoln Park conducting a traffic stop when his patrol vehicle was struck by another motorist, troopers said. Kerstetter was seated in his vehicle with his seat belt on at the time of the crash. Preliminary investigation and witness statements indicate that a Ford Explorer struck the median wall before continuing down the freeway, eventually striking Kerstetter’s patrol vehicle and pushing it into the back of the semi-truck. The driver of the Ford Explorer did not survive the crash. The semi-truck driver was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.