Sandpoint man thrown 30 feet in motorcycle crash

A motorcyclist was in fair condition Wednesday after crashing into a large rock in Bonner County on Tuesday, officials report.

Delman L. McNutt, 46, of Sandpoint, was being treated at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene after being transferred from Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint following the 6 p.m. accident.

Police said McNutt was headed north on Lower Pack River Road at a high speed on a 1997 Kawasaki Ninja and went off the road on a curve. He was not wearing a helmet, police said.

His motorcycle struck the bank and the rock, and McNutt was thrown 30 feet, police said. He was cited for reckless driving.

In a separate accident in North Idaho, three teenagers were injured when the pickup they were riding in went off Cow Creek Road near Bonners Ferry about 2 a.m. Wednesday.

State police identified the driver as William Dixon, 19, of Naples, Idaho. He was treated and released from Boundary Community Hospital.

Two passengers, a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl, were taken to larger hospitals in the region after initially being seen at the Boundary hospital.

A hospital official said the 19-year-old passenger was airlifted to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane in critical condition, and the 16-year-old was taken to Kootenai Medical Center in serious condition.

Police said Dixon was headed west on Cow Creek Road in a 1994 Dodge pickup near milepost 1 when he failed to negotiate a corner and drove off the east edge of the road, going onto an embankment before hitting a downed tree. The vehicle rolled once.

The 19-year-old passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the truck.