4 motorcycle accidents keep officers busy on SR341

Alcohol or drug impairment is suspected in four separate motorcycle accidents which occurred Saturday afternoon on State Route 341, officials say.

The first incident happened at SR341 and Lousetown Road on Geiger Grade when a motorcyclist hit a guardrail and went over an embankment, said Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Eddie Bowers. A passenger on the bike sustained substantial injuries.

The second accident occurred at the intersection of SR341 and SR342, commonly known as the truck route, when a motorcyclist veered left of center and drove over an embankment. The victim was taken by Care Flight helicopter to Renown Medical Center, Bowers said.

At Griner's Bend, a steep S curve between Gold Hill and Virginia City, another bike went over on its side causing substantial injury to the passenger on the back of the bike, Bowers said.

Officers still were on the scene of a fourth accident on SR341 around 7 p.m., which did not appear to be serious, Bowers said.

No other details about the accidents or victims were available at press time, but Bowers said charges could be pending if impairment is a cause of any of them.