Trooper in deadly collision with motorcyclist identified

  • Saturday, July 4, 2015 7:58pm
  • News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 58-year-old Anchorage man is dead after troopers say he caused an accident while trying to flee a traffic stop on his motorcycle.

Motorcyclist Michael Kemper was pronounced dead at the scene Friday evening.

Alaska State Troopers say trooper Jeffrey F. Simpson spotted Kemper speeding on Seward Highway around 7 p.m. Friday. The troopers say Kemper ignored the signal to pull over and instead rode on the shoulder of the highway, between the guardrail and other traffic. Kemper collided with the back of a Chevrolet Suburban that had pulled over to yield to the trooper.

That crash forced Kemper back into traffic, causing the trooper’s vehicle to hit him. Kemper’s body has been transported to the State Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.

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Simpson, a nearly 13-year veteran of the department, was identified Saturday as the man who collided with Kemper.

He is assigned to the Bureau of Highway Patrol in Girdwood where he focuses primarily on traffic enforcement, according to a media release. The driver of the Chevrolet Suburban was identified as Michael P. Michelsohn, of Anchorage.

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