Cyclist on fundraising trek killed in South Dakota crash
Authorities say a Canadian bicyclist who was raising money for his granddaughter’s kidney transplant with a long-distance ride died from injuries suffered when he was struck by a truck driver in South Dakota.
By News Channel NebraskaSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a Canadian bicyclist who was raising money for his granddaughter’s kidney transplant with a long-distance ride died from injuries suffered when he was struck by a truck driver in South Dakota.
Jean-Pierre “JP” Petit, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was hit from behind by the cargo truck Thursday while riding on the shoulder of Interstate 29 about 17 miles (27 kilometers) north of Brookings, police said. Petit was riding on the solid white line, also known as the fog line.
He died Monday at a hospital in Sioux Falls, according to the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Petit, 53, was planning to cycle 838 miles (1,349 kilometers) from Winnipeg to Hot Springs in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where there’s a fountain of natural spring water called the Kidney Springs. Petit carried a sign along the route that said, “Let’s make anything possible.”
The 65-year-old truck driver, from Brandon, South Dakota, was not hurt. The patrol is investigating whether to file charges against him.