(From Todd Epp, Northern Plains News)
As of Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, no law-enforcement agency has publicly confirmed a motorcycle fatality outside South Dakota involving a rider en route to, or returning from, the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. That absence of confirmation does not prove such deaths did not occur; many agencies do not note trip purpose, and next-of-kin confirmations can lag.
Inside the state, the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s final 2025 tally lists four deaths, 80 injuries, and 66 injury crashes during the Aug. 1–10 rally window. The South Dakota Department of Transportation counted 537,459 vehicles entering Sturgis over those 10 days, up about 11 percent from the recent five-year average.
The tally’s limits are narrow: the patrol compiles daily stats from 6 a.m. the first Saturday through 6 a.m. the final Sunday, and only for investigations it handles in western South Dakota. Crashes elsewhere in South Dakota, and in other states as riders travel to and from the event, are not counted.
Nationwide scan: During the rally window, Northern Plains News reviewed crash logs, press releases, and local coverage from multiple states on common rally routes. Wyoming, North Dakota, and Minnesota each reported fatal motorcycle crashes while the rally was underway; none of the public notices linked those riders to Sturgis travel.
Historical context: In 2010, four riders returning from Sturgis died on Interstate 29 near Little Sioux, Iowa, when a pickup crossed the median and struck their group—deaths that did not appear in South Dakota’s rally statistics because they occurred out of state. That case illustrates how the overall toll can extend beyond South Dakota’s borders.
How we counted:
- Timeframe: Friday, Aug. 1, through Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.
- Inclusion: We will list out-of-state fatalities only when officials or families publicly confirm the rider was traveling to or from Sturgis.
- Sources reviewed: South Dakota Highway Patrol daily and final tallies; South Dakota DOT vehicle counts; crash logs, press releases, and local coverage in bordering and non-bordering states with common rally routes.
Sources (CLICK ON THE PUBLIC LINKS):
South Dakota DOT final vehicle counts (Aug. 12, 2025): https://dot.sd.gov/inside-sddot/media/press-releases/2025-sturgis-motorcycle-rally-final-vehicle-counts/
Mitchell Republic summary of SDHP final tally (Aug. 10, 2025): https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/south-dakota/final-rally-tally-troopers-report-4-deaths-80-injuries-across-66-crashes-during-2025-sturgis-rally
South Dakota Searchlight overview and DOT numbers (Aug. 12, 2025): https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/08/12/traffic-and-injury-accidents-surged-higher-at-2025-sturgis-motorcycle-rally/
Dakota News Now fact brief on Rally Tally scope (Aug. 6, 2025): https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2025/08/06/fact-brief-does-sturgis-rally-tally-offer-complete-view-motorcycle-fatalities-during-event/
North Dakota Highway Patrol media release: Fargo fatal motorcycle crash (Aug. 9, 2025): https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/sites/www/files/documents/News/2025%20Media%20Release/August%202025/2025.8.9.25.CassCounty.FatalCrash.pdf
KOTA-TV: Fatal motorcycle–deer crash near Sheridan, WY (Aug. 13, 2025): https://www.kotatv.com/2025/08/13/biker-killed-crash-with-deer-car-near-sheridan/
2010 example: The Opinion-Tribune original report (archival) Charges Filed in Cyclists Deaths | The Opinion-Tribune
