A South Dakota motorcycle rider died in an afternoon crash on Highway 37 near Parkston, hit by a Buick Enclave car that was attempting to pass a semi truck. According to the State Patrol, the motorcyclist was heading north on a two-lane stretch of South Dakota Highway 37 shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, July 17. From the opposite direction, the Buick’s driver pulled out from behind a Peterbilt tractor trailer in an attempt to pass the truck, the patrol said. The three-vehicle crash resulted in the death of the 52-year-old motorcyclist.
“Charges are pending,” the State Patrol said in a report published on the agency’s Facebook site.
Parkston was home for both the motorcycle rider and the 78-year-old driver of the car, who was seriously injured, the patrol said. A 45-year-old female passenger in the car also was seriously injured. The semi driver was not injured. Responding to the scene along with the State Patrol were officers from the Parkston Police Department and Parkston Fire Department.
NEGLIGENT OR ILLEGAL OPERATION OF A VEHICLE
The law enforcement investigation into this South Dakota highway death could provide the basis for a wrongful death motorcycle lawsuit. If charges are pending, police may have information that the driver of the car broke the law. In Parkston, the next of kin of the motorcycle rider are undoubtedly grieving a tragic loss that could have been prevented. Negligence is not a factor in every highway death, but charges are pending in this accident and family members will have every right to consider their legal options.
Our law firm represents families of people killed in fatal highway accidents.