Crash that killed 20-year-old Jackson College student was “a bizarre accident,” says his brother

JACKSON COUNTY, MI – A man who died in a motorcycle crash near Jackson on Thursday had long had a dream of owning his own motorcycle, his brother said.

“I never thought I would get the call that my brother was in a motorcycle accident,” Collin Poynter wrote in a social media post on Friday. “But when it happened, I hoped it would be a life lesson that no matter how smart or experienced you are or how safely you ride, motorcycles are not safe.”

Joseph Poynter, 20, died while riding his motorcycle in Leoni Township around 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, according to police. He was studying business at Jackson College, his mother, Ginger Nehls Russell, told MLive.

He graduated from Michigan Center High School in 2022.

Poynter, of Leoni Township, was riding a motorcycle east on E. Michigan Avenue near Mills Street when he lost control and fell from the motorcycle, according to a news release from the Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety.

Read more: 20-year-old man killed in motorcycle accident in Jackson area

Police believe Poynter hit his head on the road. He was wearing a helmet and was not speeding, police said. “From witness statements and the initial investigation, it appears that the victim was driving at or below the speed limit,” the press release states.

Collin Poynter said in a social media post that his brother’s death was a “truly bizarre accident.”

“I knew he would take it slow and do everything he could to protect himself,” he added.

Poynter had recently purchased the motorcycle and was learning to ride it with a friend, his brother said.

“Words cannot even describe the impact you had on me, but on everyone who knew you,” Collin Poynter wrote in the public message to his brother. “There are just so many good memories and things to cherish and love about you.”

Poynter leaves behind two brothers and his mother.

A GoFundMe campaign to support Poynter’s funeral expenses had raised more than $10,000 as of Friday, June 7.