David Montgomery

dmontgome@argusleader.com

One person is dead and another is in serious condition after a school bus and a motorcycle collided Friday night in southern Sioux Falls.

The 49-year-old man who was driving the motorcycle was pronounced dead on the scene, Lt. Troy Lubbers of the Sioux Falls Police Department said. A 45-year-old woman who was a passenger on the motorcycle has life-threatening injuries. The 59-year-old woman driver of the bus was shaken up but uninjured. There were no children on the bus at the time.

The crash was reported at 8 p.m. on 57th Street and Caraway Drive south of Yankton Trail Park. Lubbers said the motorcycle was headed west on 57th Street when a Harrisburg school bus headed east turned left into the park in the motorcycle's path.

Jim Holbeck, Harrisburg's superintendent, said he and others with the school district are "extremely saddened by this news of the fatality and the injury of the other person on the motorcycle.

"Our hearts go out to the families," Holbeck said. "We'll hope for the best for the one passenger."

Holbeck said the bus driver was a longtime driver for the district, though he said he wasn't sure how many years.

The intersection where the crash occurred was uncontrolled.

The bus was headed to Yankton Trail Park to pick up students participating in the Augustana Twilight cross country meet.

After the crash, the front of the bus could be seen to have sustained serious damage.

Police said they weren't immediately certain how fast the two vehicles had been traveling at the time of impact.

Lubbers said neither of the motorcycle riders appeared to have been wearing helmets.

Police have shut down 57th Street from Western Avenue to Minnesota as a team reconstructs the accident. Lubbers said it is too early to determine whether charges will be issued.

The name of the deceased hasn't been released, pending family notification.