FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT: Lieutenant David Berkley 605.394.2286                

Highway Patrol Sturgis Rally Daily Information

Below are the statistics as of 6 a.m. Wednesday August 7, 2013

Injury Crashes:

A 2008 Kawasaki motorcycle, driven by Kent Bringhurst, 63, from Ogden, Utah, was traveling westbound on I-90 east of Spearfish S.D. A 2012 Ford Focus, driven by Alissa Taube, 25, from Green Forks, Ind., was also traveling westbound on I-90. Taube did not realize the motorcycle was traveling considerably slower than she was and she struck the rear end of the motorcycle. Bringhurst was thrown from the motorcycle into the north ditch. He was transported to Spearfish Regional Hospital by ambulance with serious non-life threatening injuries. Taube was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured. Bringhurst was not wearing a helmet. Charges are pending.

The driver of a 2002 Harley Davidson motorcycle, Robert Engelke, 68, from Livingston, Ill., was traveling westbound to Sturgis S.D. on I-90 and missed the Sturgis exit. He continued to travel west on I-90 ten miles west of Spearfish S.D. until mile marker 1; he saw the Wyoming sign and attempted to turn around. As he was turning, the motorcycle fell over onto him causing injuries. He picked the motorcycle up and traveled back to Sturgis where he met up with other riders. He was later transported to the Sturgis Hospital where it was discovered he had serious non-life threatening injuries. He was transported by ambulance to the Rapid City Regional Hospital. Engelke could not remember if he was wearing a helmet but did wear eye protection. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

Richard Redmond, 59, from Raleigh, N.C., was driving a 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle on U.S. Highway 385, mile marker 105, south of Boondocks when he thought he had a bee in his helmet. As he was attempting to deal with the bee, he lost control of his motorcycle, which left the roadway and overturned. Redmond was separated from the motorcycle and came to rest on the side of a hill. Life Flight transported Redmond to Rapid City Regional Hospital with serious non-life threatening injuries. Redmond was wearing a helmet. No charges are pending.

A 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle, driven by Taci McKay, 40, from Commerce, Colo., was southbound on U.S. Highway 385 approaching Strawberry Hill Lane, 5 miles south of Deadwood S.D., when it struck the left rear end of a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe. The Tahoe, driven by Marie Dvorak, 62, from Spearfish, S.D., was turning left from Strawberry Hill Lane onto U.S. Highway 385. McKay’s motorcycle overturned, throwing the driver onto the roadway causing injury to the driver. McKay was transported to Rapid City Regional by Life Flight with life threatening injuries. McKay was not wearing a helmet. Dvorak was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

A 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle, driven by Gertrude Cooper, 63, from Bancroft, Mich. was traveling south on U.S. Highway 85, five miles north of Deadwood S.D., with the Biker Bell Motorcycle Run. Cooper approached a curve traveling too fast, applied the brakes and went into the east ditch where the driver lost control and rolled. Cooper was wearing a helmet and eye protection. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash. Cooper sustained serious non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Lead Deadwood Regional Hospital. A charge of careless driving is pending.

Donald Fitch, 51, from Olanta, S.C., driving a 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle, was turning westbound onto S.D. Highway 34 off Alkali Road, the entrance to the Buffalo Chip, when the motorcycle slid out from underneath Fitch and skated across the roadway. Fitch was transported to the Sturgis Hospital by Sturgis Ambulance with serous non-life threatening injuries.  Fitch was not wearing a helmet. Alcohol is not a factor in this crash.  No charges were filed.

Kimberly Jo Arnell, 48, from Carmel, Ind., driving a 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle, was traveling westbound on I-90 west of Whitewood S.D. at mile marker 21. Due to heavy rain; she slowed and attempted to pull over onto the left shoulder to park under an overpass. David McCormick, 59, from Evanston, Wyo., riding a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle, also traveling westbound, struck Arnell’s motorcycle in the rear causing both motorcycles to overturn. Arnell's motorcycle slid into a third motorcycle already pulled over onto the shoulder. McCormick was transported by Spearfish Ambulance to Spearfish Regional Hospital, then Life Flighted to Rapid City Regional Hospital with life threatening injuries. He was not wearing a helmet. Arnell was transported by Spearfish Ambulance to Spearfish Regional Hospital with serious non-life threatening injuries. She was not wearing a helmet. This crash is still under investigation.

Jimmy Lee Janshen, 56, of Adrian, Minn., driving a 1992 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, was eastbound on U.S. Highway 16, one mile east of Hill City. Eastbound traffic was stopped and waiting to turn into the Black Hills National Forest Visitor Center. Janshen did not see the stopped traffic, swerved to avoid a collision and laid the motorcycle down. The occupants were thrown from the motorcycle.  As a result, Janshen and his passenger, Rose Janshen, 55, also from Adrian, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. They were taken to Rapid City Regional hospital by Hill City Ambulance.  The Janshens were both wearing helmets. Alcohol was not a factor and Janshen was cited for careless driving. Assisting at the scene were the Pennington County Sheriff's Office and the Hill City Volunteer Fire Department.

A 1997 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Lisa White, age 46, from Alda, Neb., was traveling on U.S. Highway 16A in Custer State Park. White failed to negotiate a curve in the road and went off into the ditch where she received minor injuries. She was transported to Custer Regional Hospital by Custer Ambulance. Speed and alcohol were not factors in this crash. White was not wearing a helmet. No charges were issued.

A 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Mark Maybon, 44, from Aurora, Neb., was traveling eastbound on I-90 at the Belvidere S.D. exit, when the motorcycle left the roadway for unknown reasons.  The motorcycle collided with two delineator posts. Maybon and the motorcycle came to final rest in the ditch.  Maybon received serious non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Rapid City Regional Hospital by Life Flight.  Charges are pending for careless driving, DUI and expired plates. 

A 2002 Dodge Ram pickup, driven by Douglas Ekberg, 66, from Hamill, S.D., was traveling westbound on 289th Street northwest of Martin S.D. Ekberg failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of 205th Ave. and struck a northbound 1992 Kenworth tractor trailer combination, driven by Justin Hoover, 20, from Reinholds, Pa. Ekberg was not wearing his seatbelt and sustained life threatening injuries. Hoover was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured. Two passengers in the Dodge pickup, Thomas Cahoy, 44, and Wyatt Cahoy, 12, both of Colome S.D., were not wearing seatbelts and sustained serious non-life threatening injuries. All three occupants of the pickup were transported by Martin Ambulance to the Bennett County Hospital and then flown to McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls S.D. Speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash. Bennett County Sheriff’s Office and Martin Police Department assisted at the scene.

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