A Powell woman suffered fatal injuries and her husband was seriously injured in a Friday motorcycle crash east of Gillette. 

Denton and Alta Davis were riding a motorcycle and pulling a trailer on the way to South Dakota on July 3 when the back tire gave out and catapulted them off the bike, said Tawny Hall, who has organized a fundraiser for the couple. Both Alta and Denton were wearing helmets and traveling safely, Hall said.

“Accidents happen,” she wrote earlier this week. “This one has been horrific.”

Alta was life-flighted from the scene of the accident to Billings for immediate brain surgery. She suffered broken bones and major brain damage that led to a coma. Late Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that Alta would not recover from her injuries. A Facebook page dedicated to posting updates about the couple shared that Alta “will be on her new journey to heaven to be with her loved ones there.”

The page added that Alta was an organ donor and had been doing what she loved: “Spending time with Denton and traveling.”

Following the crash, Denton was transported to the emergency room in Gillette with injuries to his ribs and a small brain bleed, Hall said. Staff there assessed his injuries and ultimately let him leave, with the stipulation that he would get admitted to the Billings hospital. He has since been released, and he and other family members gathered in Billings to be with Alta.

As of midday Wednesday, the GoFundMe fundraiser set up by Hall had raised nearly $9,000 for the couple.

Niece Brandi Contreras said that with Alta being a teacher for Early Head Start — and a day care and preschool provider for years before that — she has made a big impact in Powell.

“They definitely have meant a lot to the Powell community. Alta has been a major part of a lot of children’s lives,” Contreras said midday Wednesday, adding, “I’m honestly kind of blown away by how many people have reached out and said that they’re thinking about them and praying for them, and it’s kind of overwhelming, honestly …  that’s one of my favorite things about our community. I think we’re unique and special in that way that we rally around people when tragedies happen. It doesn’t happen everywhere, but it happens here.”

For more information, visit facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591872475772.