A truck driver struck and killed a Winnipeg bicyclist, who was on a long-distance trek to raise money for his 3-year-old granddaughter battling kidney disease, on an interstate in eastern South Dakota.
Cyclist on trek to pay for granddaughter's surgery killed by truck in South Dakota
The 53-year-old from Winnipeg was struck from behind by a truck driver, who is now under criminal investigation.
June 15, 2022 at 2:20PM
The South Dakota Highway Patrol said Tuesday that the driver struck Jean-Pierre "JP" Petit, 53, about 11:50 a.m. on June 9 as he pedaled south on Interstate 29, about 17 miles north of Brookings.
Petit was riding along the solid white line on the right shoulder when the cargo truck hit him, the Highway Patrol said in a statement. Emergency responders took him to a hospital in Sioux Falls, where he died Monday, four days after the crash. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The truck driver, Mark Akkerman, 65, of Brandon, S.D., was not hurt. Charges are pending against Akkerman, the Highway Patrol said. Patrol spokesman Tony Mangan declined to specify Akkerman's alleged crime. Mangan said charges could come within 30 days of the crash.
He also said that bicyclists are allowed to travel on interstates in South Dakota.
"The Petit family wishes to inform everyone who has been following along with the 'Cycle4Eveline' journey that our wonderful JP — husband, father, grandfather, hero — has succumbed to his injuries," son Marquis Petit posted on the website for the fundraiser started on behalf of his daughter.
Petit, a devoted long-distance runner, set off on June 4 and was struck on the sixth day and nearly 400 miles into his 840-mile trek. He was heading to Hot Springs in far southwestern South Dakota, where a fountain of natural spring water called the Kidney Springs is located. Petit had been there before to run a 100-mile ultramarathon.
His goal on the anticipated 13-day trip was to raise $20,000 to help pay for granddaughter Eveline's kidney transplant, which occurred in March, when she received a kidney from her father at Winnipeg Children's Hospital. As of Wednesday, pledges have totaled more than $22,000.
Eveline's grandfather "leaves behind an amazing legacy of self-sacrificing love for others," the son's posting continued. "God provided us a miracle of a man who is leaving a legacy of love, selflessness, and heroism."
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