Iowa City man dies in Wisconsin motorcycle crash

Posted on Sep 14, 2009 by admin.

UPDATE: An Iowa City man died Saturday after a crash involving a minivan near Gays Mills, Wis.

David Ryan, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene after he was thrown from his motorcycle in the crash, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said Monday. Deputies say Ryan, riding westbound on Highway 171, rounded a steep curve, saw the minivan and locked the brakes on his motorcycle, attempting to avoid a collision.

Two other motorcyclists — Troy Bjerke, 45, of Bensenville, Ill., and Gerald Risch, 45, of Lake in the Hills, Ill. — then crashed into the minivan and also were ejected from their motorcycles. Both were taken to Vernon Memorial Hospital in Viroqua for treatment.

No one in the van, driven by Jean Welsh, 49, of Richland Center, was injured.

All the motorcyclists were wearing helmets, officials said. Speed was a factor in the crash, but alcohol was not, according to the sheriff’s office.