At least 19 injured in South Carolina stampede at annual motorcycle rally

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, ABC Sunday night TV news

U.S. News
At least 19 injured in South Carolina stampede at annual motorcycle rally

First responders in Atlantic Beach were dispatched to the area near South Ocean Boulevard early Sunday as the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival was underway.

May 24, 2026, 12:04 PM EDT / Updated May 24, 2026, 4:08 PM EDT
By Mirna Alsharif and Bella LoBue

At least 19 people were injured in a stampede at an annual motorcycle rally Sunday morning in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, according to local officials.

Horry County Fire Rescue crews responded to a “stage area” near South Ocean Boulevard at around 1:05 a.m., where they located the patients with assistance from local law enforcement. The town of Atlantic Beach confirmed that the incident happened at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival — held annually in the area over Memorial Day weekend.

{snip}

[Bluetus]

1. A stampede at a motorcycle CULTURAL festival, you say?

Is South Carolina trying to displace Florida and Texas for the most idiots per square mile?

[cloudbase]

2. Some wag once described South Carolina as

too small to be a republic, too large to be an insane asylum.

[IcyPeas]

3. From article:

In a statement, the town of Atlantic Beach said the event was triggered by a person who began running, “causing a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds.”