A motorcyclist was killed in Rosemount on Wednesday evening, police said. The motorcyclist is the eighth rider to die in the state in the past week.

The Minnesota State Patrol said the crash occurred at 7:30 p.m. on Hwy. 55 and County Road 42. The highway was closed for several hours in both directions between Hwy. 52 and Goodwin Avenue, the patrol said.

No other information was released.

On Wednesday, a motorcyclist who died in a crash on Labor Day in West St. Paul was identified.

David Cook, 50, collided with a car late in the morning at S. Robert Street and Butler Avenue E., according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office and police. Cook, of West St. Paul, died at the scene.

The 66-year-old man driving the car wasn't hurt and was cooperating with the investigation. Authorities have not released his identity.

Since last Wednesday, at least eight motorcyclists have been killed in crashes in Minnesota, according to the state Department of Public Safety (DPS). Two of those crashes occurred in Bloomington and involved motorcyclists fleeing law enforcement.

As of Thursday morning, there have been 44 motorcycle fatalities so far this riding season, according to preliminary reports. At this same time last year, there were 39.

"While the summer months are historically the time when there are a greater number of motorcycle fatalities, the riding season isn't over yet," DPS spokeswoman Megan Leonard said. "Riders and drivers should continue sharing the road and making safe choices."