Opening weekend for South Dakota's 85th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was one marred by multiple accidents, leading to one death and at least 17 injuries, reports USA Today. A 58-year-old man on a 2019 Harley was the lone fatality, after he lost control while cruising on Saturday morning and slammed into three other motorcycles. South Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Zachary Bader says that the man was "unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway," per the Argus Leader. That rider died at the scene, while the three bikers he hit sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The state's Department of Public Safety says an additional 14 nonfatal crashes took place over the weekend, with seven people being transported to area hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Of the 17 total hurt riders, at least eight of them weren't wearing helmets, per the agency. KOTA reports on one notable incident that took place in the wee hours Sunday morning, when cops tried to pull over a motorcyclist for exhibition driving and ended up chasing him through Sturgis before the bike ended up in a ditch.
"He took off at a very high rate of speed, running stop signs, driving in a reckless manner," says Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater, who notes the man was airlifted to a nearby medical center with serious injuries. Meade County Sheriff Pat West says there were also seven DUIs and almost 400 calls for service during the first two days of the rally, which lasts throughout this week, per the Leader. "We need to work on slowing down," VanDewater said. "Please take a breath and relax. ... Even our ambulances were spread thin last night."
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