UNDATED – The South Dakota Highway Patrol issued its first rally tally of the year on Sunday.
The patrol says both drug and D.U.I. arrests are up to start the year. So far, the patrol reports 45 misdemeanor and 45 felony drug arrests. Those numbers are up from last year’s 20 and 9 respectively on this date.
AS for D.U.I. arrests, the patrol reports 30 so far this year – ahead of last year’s 25 at this time.
Another sign this year’s rally is trending bigger than last year are the number of citations and warning, which are well ahead of last year. So far, the patrol has issued 254 citations and 601 warnings – ahead of last year’s 167 and 576 respectively.
Although there were a number of fatal motorcycle crashes last week, there have been none reported through Saturday. There have been 8 injury accidents and 4 non-injury crashes. Those are ahead of last year.
In Sturgis, illegal parking continues to be an annual problem. Sturgis Police have issued 37 parking citations – up 6 from last year on this date. Sturgis Police report 42 people have been booked into the Meade County jail.
Here is a synopsis of Saturday’s injury crashes:
At noon on Saturday, the driver of a 2011 Yamaha STR was traveling on US Highway 18, mile marker 20 (seven miles east of Edgemont). The vehicle exited the roadway and overturned. The driver became separated from the motorcycle during the crash. The driver was transported with serious non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was wearing a helmet.
At 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, the driver of a 2005 Harley Davidson FXDI, pulling a trailer, was exiting I-90 mile near marker 188 (four miles west of Murdo). As the vehicle was exiting, the trailer came unhitched and began dragging on the roadway. The driver lost control of the motorcycle and crashed. The driver was transported by ambulance with minor injuries. The driver was not wearing a helmet.
At 1:37 p.m. on Saturday, the driver of a 2017 Kia Forte was involved in a crash at the intersection of Junction Avenue and Douglas Street in Sturgis. The driver was transported with minor injuries. The driver was arrested for DUI at over three times the legal limit. The driver was wearing a seatbelt.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, the driver of a 2022 Harley Davidson FLXRS was traveling eastbound on US Highway 18 near mile marker 24 (12 miles west of Hot Springs). A vehicle traveling the same direction in front of the motorcycle slowed down to make a left-hand turn. As the driver of the 2022 Harley Davidson FLXRS attempted to avoid the turning vehicle they lost control of the motorcycle, overturned and then slid a short distance in the roadway. The driver of the Harley was separated from the motorcycle during the crash. The driver was transported with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was wearing a helmet.
At 4:48 p.m. on Saturday, the driver of a 2012 Harley Davidson was traveling through a curve on US Highway 14A near mile marker 32, (five miles south of Lead) when they saw patrol vehicles nearby. The driver was unsure of the posted speed limit and braked aggressively. The driver lost control of the motorcycle and overturned. The driver separated from the motorcycle and slid into the ditch. The driver was transported with minor injuries. The driver was wearing a helmet.
At 6:27 p.m. on Saturday, the driver of a 2021 Kawasaki ZX14 was traveling on North Angustora Road (eight miles south of Hot Springs) when a deer entered the road. The driver was able to miss the deer by swerving but lost control of the motorcycle in the process. The motorcycle overturned and slid with the driver across the ditch and into a nearby field. The driver was transported with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was wearing a helmet.
At 8:53 p.m. Saturday, the driver of a 2019 Harley Davidson FLHXS was traveling northbound on US Highway 14A near mile marker 45 (three miles north of Deadwood) when a deer ran onto the roadway. The driver was unable to avoid the deer and lost control of the motorcycle as the impact occurred. The driver was separated from the motorcycle as they slid across the roadway. The driver was transported with serious non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was not wearing a helmet.
At 1:52 a.m. Sunday, the driver of a 2018 Harley Davidson FLHTK was traveling westbound on SD Highway 34 in St. Onge. At the same time and location, a 2019 Freightliner towing a 2021 Utility trailer was traveling eastbound. The motorcycle crossed over the center line and entered the eastbound lane striking the semi-tractor. The driver was transported with serious non-life-threating injuries. The driver was not wearing a helmet.
