On January 2, 2016 at approximately 2:00 p.m. Sanilac Central Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a farming accident in the 2000 block of Phipps Road in Washington Township. The caller stated that her husband had been working with the tractor in a field near a woods when a tree fell on him. Family members were able to remove the victim from the tractor and take him to the house before EMS, Fire and Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on scene. Thomas Koppel, age 58, was transported to McKenzie Memorial Hospital by Sanilac EMS and then flown out by Life Net for treatment of injuries. Agencies assisting on the scene were, Sanilac EMS, Applegate Fire Department and the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office.
