ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- The Saint Joseph County Police Department responded to a crash July 12 at approximately 9:05 p.m. on S.R. 933 north of Cleveland between a pickup truck and motorcycle.
The initial investigation indicates that the driver of the motorcycle, 68-year-old Ricki Balmer of South Bend, was traveling northbound on 933 when the driver of a pickup truck, 23-year-old Edward Ochoa of Houston Texas, crossed in front of the motorcycle.
Balmer was a beloved member of the community who, with his family, started the S A Ryan A. Balmer Veterans Memorial Fund as a way to assist local veterans and first responders after their youngest brother died serving in the military,
The Saint Joseph County FACT was not initially activated, until they were notified that Balmer, who was taken to the hospital, had passed.
An autopsy was performed, which found that Balmer died of his injuries sustained in the crash.
A blood sample was obtained from Ochoa, who was uninjured in the collision. Those results are still pending.
The crash is under active investigation by the Saint Joseph County FACT Team.