A woman who sustained leg injuries after she was run over by a forklift July 27 on Beaver Island was flown to Munson Medical Center for treatment, officials said.

Trace Tisdole was injured while a forklift was transporting items from the Beaver Island ferry to Power’s Hardware store on Main Street, according to Charlevoix County Sheriff's Office reports. The incident occurred in front of the boat dock near the Beaver Island Community Center, located at 26210 Main St. in St. James Township.

One man who saw the incident told authorities he was parked in front of the Community Center and witnessed the victim attempting to cross the street, and said she appeared to be watching for someone when she was struck by the forklift, according to sheriff's reports.

The forklift operator involved in the accident, Blair Stoehrmann, told authorities there were several items stacked on the lift's front pallet and his view had been obstructed.  According to reports, he looked both ways prior to leaving the boat dock, because there were a number of vehicles parked alongside the road, but did not see the pedestrian crossing the street.  

Ages and hometowns for the individuals involved in the incident were not available from the sheriff's office as of press time.

From existing reports, it is unclear specifically how the collision occurred, however, a family member of the victim who rode in the ambulance on the way to the airport said the victim stated she had looked both ways before crossing the street and that she was hit twice by the forklift.  

Power’s Hardware store regularly gets deliveries from the mainland via the ferry. Large stocks of goods are delivered via ferry to island residents and businesses each year; 10,000 tons of freight was carried in 2020, according to Beaver Island Boat Co. General Manager Tim McQueer.  

The accident is unusual, said McQueer, who noted he has been in charge of operations at the Beaver Island ferry company for almost two decades and has never seen a similar incident.

However, the accident did not occur on ferry company property.

Normally upon the ferry’s arrival, contractors on the island pick up their shipments at the loading station once the ferry is docked. It is their responsibility to load and transport the materials from there, said McQueer.  Although the ferry owns loading equipment, the forklift involved in the accident was the property of the hardware store, said McQueer. 

Forklifts vary significantly in size; however, a smaller electric motor rider truck has a 3,000-4,000-pound carrying capacity. 

Operators are required by state and federal regulation to obtain a forklift certification (also called a license). It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure staff has a forklift certification, according to several companies that provide the online course needed for the license.   

Balance scenarios, and maneuvering the vehicle on various surfaces are some of the subjects that are covered during the certification process and possible hazards are also identified, with recommendations for ways to avoid them, according to the course's training literature. 

The victim’s injuries were severe enough to warrant being transported by Beaver Island EMS via air ambulance to the Traverse City hospital for treatment. Attempts to obtain details on her condition were unsuccessful.

Power's Hardware store declined to make a comment regarding the issue.  There are no pending charges regarding the incident, Charlevoix County Prosecuting Attorney Allen Telgenhof said he was made aware of the situation but has not been given the police report. The Courier reached out to the Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration to see if is pursuing an investigation of the matter, but no response had been received as of press time.

Beaver Island does not have a hospital; the decision is made on the scene if hospitalization is required. The air ambulance is normally called in life-and-death situations, but also can be used if the patient is able to voice their desire to receive hospital treatment for their injury, according to the Beaver Island EMS Director Cody Randall.  

The island’s EMS team (consisting of about 20 employees, with three on-call at all times) responds to about 100 emergency calls a year, according to Randall. Last year, 30 of those calls required the use of the air ambulance. The island has two ambulances available for land transportation.  

The average ambulance response time is relatively short on the island as compared to some rural areas on the mainland. The station is located in St. James Township in the most populated area of the island. In a best-case scenario, after calling 911, a person could receive medical care on-site in just a few minutes.  However, if the call comes from the opposite, less peopled, areas of the island it could take 20 minutes or more, said Randall. 

If the weather is good and the island’s dedicated ambulance plane is available, from the time 911 is called to the time a patient reaches a hospital could be approximately one hour.   

“That’s if everything goes well,” said Randall. 

If the island plane and the two available backup planes are not available or usable, the U.S. Coast Guard is called to help.  

The Coast Guard’s helicopters can fly through weather the airplanes cannot. Medical situations tend to occur three or four times a year under such conditions, and it can be hours before a patient arrives at the hospital, according to Randall.   

Beaver Island EMS is one of eight operating stations in Michigan licensed to operate an air vac. 

Mackinac Island does not have a dedicated island-based aircraft for medical emergencies, but a small medical center is available on the island.