Rapid City, SD : Two people died in traffic accidents on Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Two people died Wednesday in traffic accidents related to the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

A Port Arthur, Texas, man died Wednesday at Rapid City Regional Hospital. The 80-year-old man was involved in an accident around noon Sunday on U.S. Highway 385, at mile marker 117, five miles south of Lead.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol said the man was driving a motorcycle south when he failed to negotiate a curve. The motorcycle left the roadway and the driver put the motorcycle on its side. The driver suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to a Rapid City hospital, where he died Wednesday. He was not wearing a helmet.

An accident involving a car and two motorcycles just after 5 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. Highway 16 south of Rapid City resulted in the death of a 50-year-old woman.

The Highway Patrol said a 22-year-old Pierre woman was driving a 2005 Crown Victoria south on U.S. Highway 16 and preparing to turn onto Neck Yoke Road. The vehicle collided on U.S. Highway 16 with two northbound motorcycles.

The two riders were thrown from their motorcycles. The 50-year-old woman died of her injuries at a Rapid City hospital. A 48-year-old man driving the other motorcycle suffered life-threatening injuries. Both are from Maryland; their identities had not been released as of Thursday.

The driver of the car suffered minor injuries. She was wearing a seat belt. Two passengers, both children, were not injured. The investigation continues, Highway Patrol officials said.

Capt. Jason Ketterling, district commander of the Highway Patrol, said the number of injury accidents this year far exceeds the number for the same time period a year ago.

"We're up about 33 percent," he said.

Sturgis police said city law enforcement matters have been relatively quiet, with illegal parking and misdemeanor drug arrests seeing the largest increases over a year ago.

Source :
Rally-related accidents claim two lives