STURGIS, S.D. (KELO) — The most recent release of Sturgis Rally data from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety (DPS) announces the third death at the rally this year.
According to the DPS, a fatal crash occurred at 4:16 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when a 2007 Harley Davidson was traveling east on I-90 just west of Belvidere. DPS says the motorcycle left the road and went into the median, traveling a short distance before tipping.
The rider was thrown from the motorcycle and died. Use of a helmet is under investigation.
The DPS releases a Sturgis Rally Tally – a 24-hour (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.) recap for crashes, DUI arrests, drug arrests, citations and warnings for both Sturgis and the Rapid City district.
Note: Rally Tally numbers from DPS do not include data from the Rally’s official opening day Friday, Aug. 2.
Beyond an increase in fatal crashes, the 24-hour period of 6:00 a.m. Tuesday to 6:00 a.m. Wednesday also brought rises in DUIs, drug arrests and more.
This rise of course brought a rise in the cumulative numbers as well, with the rally now recording 83 total DUIs since Sunday, and 272 total drug arrests.
Year over year, the numbers in certain categories have risen as well. As of Wednesday, totals for DUIs, drug arrests and fatalities are all up from the previous year.
Injury Crashes
There were five injury crashes noted by the DPS beyond the fatal crash listed above.
One of these crashes involved a motorcyclist failing to negotiate a curve and crashing, resulting in serious, non-life-threatening injuries.
In two others, drivers in other vehicles turned in front of oncoming motorcycles after failing to see them. One incident happened in Wall, resulting in serious, non-life-threatening injuries to the rider, and the other occurred in Hot Springs, resulting in minor injuries to the rider.
The fourth crash resulted when a motorcyclist riding behind an SUV failed to notice that the SUV had stopped to make a left turn. The motorcyclist hit the back of the SUV, resulting in serious, non-life-threatening injuries to both the driver and passenger of the motorcycle.
The final crash happened at 10:31 p.m. Tuesday when a State Trooper stopped a 1999 Kawasaki motorcycle for a traffic violation in Sturgis. During the stop, the motorcyclist fled and rode a short distance before leaving the road and crashing in a ditch.
Charges are pending against the rider, who was not wearing a helmet, and received minor injuries.
The Highway Patrol is investigating these crashes.
