Traffic Injuries, Fatalities down Dramatically at Sturgis

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — Traffic-related injuries and fatalities at this year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally were down dramatically from a year ago, when the 75th annual event attracted record crowds.

The Highway Patrol reports 50 injury accidents and three deaths during the seven-day rally that wrapped up Sunday. That's down from 124 injuries and 15 deaths last year.

A record 739,000 people attended last year's landmark rally. This year's attendance hasn't been released, but many vendors report a big drop in business due to smaller crowds. T-shirt vendor Brian Blaine tells KOTA-TV that he had to slash prices to move merchandise.

Vendor Robert Huddleson tells KEVN-TV that it's getting harder for vendors to compete with big companies, and he won't be coming back.

Filed Under: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally