STURGIS, S.D. – The South Dakota Highway Patrol issued their first ‘rally tally’ of the 82nd Annual event, and one fatality has been reported.
That fatal crash happened Saturday morning, on South Dakota Highway 34, mile marker 157, 18 miles west of Hayes. The patrol says a 2013 Harley-Davidson FLHX motorcycle was westbound on South Dakota Highway 34 when it rear-ended a second westbound 2013 Harley-Davidson FLHX motorcycle that had slowed down. The 58-year-old male driver of the first motorcycle died later at a Rapid City hospital. The 68-year-old male driver of the second motorcycle sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the Philip hospital. Neither driver was wearing a helmet.
As for injury crashes, the patrol reported 4 on Saturday, with 3 of them in the immediate Sturgis area. A synopsis of those crashes can be found below. There have been 8 non-injury accidents.
In other stats, the patrol reports 23 D-U-I arrests so far – up three from this date last year. There have been 17 misdemeanor drug arrests and 8 felony drug arrests. Misdemeanor arrests are up one over last year so far while felony arrests are up four.
Total citations are down while total warnings are up. Citations are at 196, compared tot 221 last year while warnings number 706, up from last year’s 508.
In the local Sturgis report, Chief Geody VanDewater reports parking remains the biggest problem. So far, Sturgis Police have responded to 55 illegal parking complaints — well ahead of last year’s 33. There were 43 reported in the latest reporting period alone.
So far, there have been 11 D-U-I arrests in Sturgis and 17 drug paraphernalia-related arrests. Felony drug arrests total 4 so far this year. D-U-I arrests are down five from last year at this time while felony drug arrests are right in line with last year.
The Meade County Jail reported 19 people booked into jail Saturday – bringing the year’s total to 30. Sturgis Police report 37 traffic=related arrests so far this year.
Here is a synopsis of Saturday’s injury crashes from the Highway Patrol:
Injury Crashes:
At 12:25 p.m., Saturday, U.S. Highway 14A, mile marker 35, two miles southeast of Lead: A 2020 Harley-Davidson FLTRX motorcycle was northbound on U.S. Highway 14A when the vehicle left the roadway, struck the edge of a guardrail and went into the ditch. The 46-year-old male driver was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained serious non-life threatening injuries. He was taken to a Rapid City hospital. He was not wearing a helmet.
At 12:40 p.m., Saturday, intersection of Nemo Road and Vanocker Canyon Road, within the Nemo city limits: A 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was westbound on Nemo Road at the intersection with Vanocker Canyon Road when the driver lost control on a curve and crossed the centerline where it collided with an eastbound 2018 Harley-Davidson Ultra Tri Glide. The 66-year-old male driver of the 2016 motorcycle sustained serious non-life threatening injuries and was airlifted to a Rapid City hospital. He was wearing a helmet. The 78-year-old male driver and the 73-year-old female passenger, both on the Tri Glide motorcycle, were not injured. They were not wearing helmets.
At 8:57 p.m., Saturday, U.S. Highway 16, mile marker 25, within the city limits of Custer: A 2006 Ford Expedition stopped at a stop sign and then turned left onto U.S. Highway 16. It collided with a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle which was westbound on U.S. Highway 16. The 66-year-old female driver of the Expedition was not injured. She was wearing a seatbelt. The 60-year-old male driver and the 58-year-old female passenger, both on the motorcycle, each sustained minor injuries and were transported to the Custer hospital. The passenger was wearing a helmet, the driver was not wearing a helmet.
At 2:11 a.m., Sunday, Interstate 90, mile marker 24, one mile east of Whitewood: A 2022 Indian motorcycle was eastbound on Interstate 90 when it left the roadway, entered the median and struck a speed limit sign. The 63-year-old male driver was not wearing a helmet and sustained serious non-life threatening injuries. He was first taken to the Spearfish hospital and later transferred to the Rapid City hospital.
