Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Two Injured In Motorcycle Collision With Pronghorn

A collision between a motorcycle with two riders aboard and a pronghorn on the afternoon of Saturday, June 20th, resulted in serious injuries to the passenger and minor injuries to the operator. The accident took place on Highway 26/89/191 two miles south of the Snake River overlook. Brady Burgess, a 38-year-old resident of Garland, Utah and his passenger and wife, 46-year-old Koreen Burgess, were traveling southbound when the collision occurred. Burgess was leading a string of about seven motorcycles when he entered the northbound lane, attempting to pass a motor home. As he started to clear the front of the RV, a pronghorn began to race across the highway. While traveling at approximately 65 miles per hour, Burgess attempted to swerve left to avoid the animal. In response to the approaching vehicle, the pronghorn leapt into the air and impacted the right side of the motorcycle. The force of the impact knocked both riders off the motorcycle, causing the bike to tip over. The motorcycle continued to slide for approximately 100 feet down the highway. Neither Burgess nor his wife was wearing a helmet at the time. Eleven park rangers and emergency medical personnel responded immediately to the scene. Emergency medical personnel from Teton County and an off-duty Minnesota highway patrolman, who was first on the scene, also assisted. Two ambulances—one from Grand Teton and the other from Teton County—responded to transport the two injured people to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson. Due to the serious nature of the incident, and the multiple ambulances and emergency medical personnel required to treat the couple, Highway 26/89/191 was closed to traffic for about an hour.