Fourth person dies in SD motorcycle rally crash

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RAPID CITY (AP) — Officials are stressing safety at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in western South Dakota, where four bikers have died in a span of three days.

Motorcyclists from Minnesota and Indiana died in crashes on Sunday, one from Colorado died Monday and another from Michigan was killed Tuesday. The rally that draws hundreds of thousands of people to South Dakota’s Black Hills each summer officially began Monday and runs through Sunday.

Four motorcycle deaths were recorded during rally week last year, according to the Highway Patrol. The most deaths in the past five years occurred in 2010, when nine people died.

Law officers say speed and alcohol use are top concerns. The eye-grabbing scenery and challenging roads of the Black Hills also can quickly turn a comfortable ride into a deadly one, Patrol Lt. Rick Miller said.

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