Three motorcyclists visiting Panama City Beach die in traffic crashes during Thunder Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Three motorcyclists died in traffic crashes on the Beach during the past week.

In a news conference Monday, Chief J.R. Talamantez of the Panama City Beach Police Department said there were eight motorcycle crashes within the city's limits during the 2024 Thunder Beach Spring Rally, which was held May 1-5.

The crashes resulted in three deaths and multiple serious injuries. All of those involved were tourists who were not wearing helmets. Alcohol, speeding and reckless behavior are suspected to have been contributing factors.

"Our heart goes out to all the families that were affected by this week's preventable tragedies," said Talamantez, who added the majority of the crashes involved only one vehicle. "The last thing we want is for people to come to Panama City Beach and not make it home, and unfortunately, we had a few instances where that happened."

Known to attract thousands of tourists to the area, Thunder Beach is a biannual motorcycle rally held in multiple locations throughout the city, including Frank Brown Park and Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach.

Talamantez said the eight serious crashes were among approximately 50 reported traffic accidents in the city during Thunder Beach. Not all of those involved motorcycles.

"That's not abnormal for a weekend this size," Talamantez said of the number of crashes. "What was abnormal were the serious injuries that resulted from some of these accidents."

Looking back: PCB gearing up for 'extremely heavy' traffic this weekend from Thunder Beach, air show

It should be noted that along with Thunder Beach, the heavy traffic congestion in the Panama City Beach area over the past week also was fueled by the inaugural Gulf Coast Salute Air Show, which was held at the Russell-Fields Pier May 3-5.

"This is not the first year in which we had fatalities during Thunder Beach," Talamantez said. "Unfortunately, at most motorcycle rallies across the nation, there's a fatality or two or three that occur during those events.

"We had more fatalities this Thunder Beach than we have seen in I would say at least the past five year."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Three motorcyclists visiting Panama City Beach die in traffic crashes during Thunder Beach