PRINEVILLE, OR -- Two people suffered significant injuries Sunday afternoon, when their motorcycle crashed into a barbed wire fence. The incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. on NW Gerke Road, near McKay Creek Road in Crook County. 

The first arriving deputy found 29-year-old Hunter Bourland tangled in the fence. He used bolt cutters to free the man. Bourland's passenger, 30-year-old Shelby Slabaugh, of Pendleton, was also hurt. Medics transported both riders to St. Charles Prineville, and they were later flown to the Bend hospital. 

Investigators later determined Bourland entered a sweeping turn at a high rate of speed and was unable to fully negotiate the curve. The bike left the road and traveled up an embankment, throwing both riders. Both people and the motorcycle collided with the barbed wire fence and a small tree. Deputies do not believe drugs or alcohol were factors.