Michigan State Police
Michigan
End of Watch: Saturday, August 29, 1981
Cause: Exposure to toxins
Biographical Info
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: Not available Trooper Peterson succumbed to internal injuries received after being exposed to fluosulfonic acid fumes following the derailment of a C&O Railroad train in Bridgman, Michigan. The train contained several tanker cars that left the tracks and became damaged during the derailment. Trooper Peterson was assigned to guard the inner perimeter of the crash site to keep citizens and reports clear of the dangers.
The tanker that contained the fluosulfonic was damaged to the point that a plume of white smoke leaked from it during the entire time Trooper Peterson was on duty at the scene. Approximately three weeks later Trooper Peterson's health deteriorated and he suffered a fatal heart attack. It was later determined that medical complications from the toxins exposure caused the heart attack. | 
