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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013
CONTACT: Capt. Kevin Joffer, Lt. Alan Welsh or Lt. Paul Gerken,
S.D. Highway Patrol 605-367-5700
Crash in Union County with Unknown Cause of Death
What: One-vehicle crash with unknown cause of death
Where: Interstate 29, mile post 23, five miles north of Elk Point, S.D.
When: Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, 8:34 p.m.
Driver 1: Gerald Fry, 66, Canistota, S.D., deceased
Vehicle 1: 2011 Volvo Semi-Truck
ELK POINT, S.D. – A Canistota, S.D., man was found dead after his semi- truck left Interstate 29, traveled through a cornfield and came to rest on a gravel road in Union County, S.D.
Gerald Fry, 66, of Canistota, was traveling southbound on Interstate 29 when, for an unknown reason, his semi-truck left the roadway to the left. The vehicle crossed the median and north bound lanes of the Interstate and entered a cornfield to the east of Interstate 29. Once in the cornfield, the semi-truck traveled for approximately one mile before it encountered the steep ditch embankment of 473rd Ave. His semi-truck crossed the gravel road and the trailer became high centered bringing the vehicle to rest. Fry was wearing a seatbelt.
It appears Fry may have suffered from a medical emergency prior to the crash which was possibly the cause of the crash. Fry was deceased when medical emergency first responders arrived at the scene.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. No further information is immediately available.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating. Union County Sheriff’s Office Elk Point Police Dept. and Elk Point Fire and Rescue assisted.
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