DPS reports second deadly accident at Sturgis Rally

A tragic incident occurred during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally when a 60-year-old man lost his life in a three-motorcycle crash on U.S. Highway 16A at mile marker 43. The fatal collision, reported by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety on Monday at 1:09 p.m., involved the man driving a 2019 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. While navigating a sharp right-hand turn, the Harley scraped the ground and sides, causing it to collide with a 2000 Indian and a 2008 Can Am that were about to enter the curve from the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the Harley rider was killed, and a female passenger sustained life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Rapid City. The other two motorcyclists also suffered serious injuries and were taken to Custer Memorial Hospital. Notably, none of the individuals involved were wearing helmets, as reported by the DPS, which tracks data for Sturgis and Rapid City. This tragic incident marks the second motorcycle fatality since Saturday at 6 a.m., as outlined in the data released by the DPS on Tuesday afternoon, covering the period from Saturday at 6 a.m. through Tuesday at 6 a.m. During the 85th Rally, there have been a total of 35 injury crashes, a significant increase from the 18 reported at the same point in the 2024 rally year.