The South Dakota Highway Patrol says an 18-year-old from Piedmont died in a motorcycle crash that happened Saturday morning.
The patrol in their last rally report of the year says the teenager was riding a motorcycle westbound on U.S. Highway 14A in Boulder Canyon when he failed to negotiate a right hand turn. The teen laid the motorcycle down on its side and struck a guardrail. The male driver was wearing a helmet, but died as a result of his injuries. The accident happened near mile marker 50, about two miles west of Sturgis just after 7:00 a.m.
The teen’s name has not been released yet pending notification of relatives.
Another fatal accident Saturday occurred at 2:00 p.m. on Highway 79, eight miles east of Sturgis.
The patrol says a 2003 Chevrolet pickup was traveling northbound when the female driver lost control. The vehicle went off the road and eventually rolled, The driver, age 29, from Gering, NE, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The patrol now lists 8 fatal accidents related to this year’s rally. There have been 68 injury accidents and 55 non-injury accidents — all up over last year.
D-U-I and drug arrests finished down over last year.