Bikes and rallygoers fill Main Street during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, August 4, 2015. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the rally expected to draw hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world for events throughout the week-long festival, according to organizers. Photo taken August 4, 2015. REUTERS/Kristina Barker
By Forum News Service
August 5, 2015
STURGIS, S.D. -- An Arizona woman who was riding on a motorcycle died after being hit by another motorcyclist Tuesday, adding to the alarming rate of fatal accidents surrounding the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
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This brings the number of traffic deaths attributed to rally traffic in the region up to nine, and up to 86 injuries. At this point last year, there were three fatalities and 39 injuries.
This year’s attendance, pushing 1 million, is expected to be about double the attendance from 2014.
According to the South Dakota Highway Patrol, Destiny Smith, 31, of Glendale, Ariz., was thrown off the back of a motorcycle Tuesday afternoon that was driven by Michael Weissman, 44, also of Glendale. When turning off U.S. Highway 385, Weissman lost control of the motorcycle, throwing Smith into traffic.
Neither Smith nor Weissman were wearing helmets, and alcohol was not considered a factor in the crash.
On a positive note, although total police citations are up from this point in the rally last year -- 3,030 this year compared to 2,567 in 2014 -- officers have made fewer drunken driving arrests in 2015, despite traffic being at what’s expected to be an all-time high at this, the 75th anniversary of the event.