BERLIN, Conn. — A fatal motorcycle crash happened late Thursday afternoon in Berlin, taking the life of a state police Chaplain, according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said a 2023 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by Paul Krampitz, 65, of Cromwell, was traveling northbound on Route 9 in the left lane near Exit 33.
A 2006 Chevy Impala was traveling in the right lane directly to the right of the Harley Davidson when it left its lane for an unknown reason and collided with the motorcycle, according to state police.
Krampitz was separated from the motorcycle and suffered life-threatening injuries; he was taken to New Britain Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, state police said.
Krampitz, a reverend, was appointed as a Connecticut State Police Chaplain in July 2008, state police said. As a Chaplain, Krampitz provided support, counsel, mentorship and guidance to troopers for over 16 years. In particular, he provided support after the Sandy Hook tragedy and after dozens of Critical Incident Stress Management debriefings.
Krampitz was also a Chaplain for the Cromwell Police Fire Departments. Firefighters call Krampitz "a friend, a mentor, and a source of strength for all of us."
According to state police, the Chevy driver said he was uninjured and declined medical treatment.
State police are investigating the crash and are asking anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Trooper Michael Dean #416, at Troop H, at 860-534-1098 or through email at Michael.Dean@CT.gov. They are also asking drivers who have a vehicle with a dashcam and were in the vicinity of Exit 33 at the time of the collision to reach out to Dean.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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