Names released in Meade County Fatal Crash

What:    Two-vehicle crash

Where:  I 90, mile marker 50, Nearest city is Summerset

When:   3:16 p.m.(MT), Saturday, July 15, 2023

Driver No. 1: Jayden Hayford, 16, fatal injuries, Faith, SD

Passenger No. 1: Female, 17, Serious non-life-threatening injuries, Kadoka, SD

Vehicle No. 1: 2023 Kia Sportage

Driver No. 2: Oscar Rodriguez Jr., 54, no injuries, Midland, TX

Vehicle No. 2: 2023 Freightliner Cascadio

MEADE COUNTY, S.D.: One person died Saturday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on I 90 near mile marker 50.  The nearest city is Summerset, S.D.

Preliminary crash information indicates that a 2023 Freightliner Cascadio had been parked on the shoulder of westbound I-90 near mile marker 50.  The semi merged back onto westbound I 90 and sped up to 45-50 miles per hour.  A 2023 Kia Sportage struck the trailer in the rear and became lodged underneath the trailer.

The semi driver brought his vehicle to a stop on the westbound shoulder.

Jayden Hayford, age 16, the driver of the Kia Sportage sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

The female passenger in the Kia, age 17, sustained serious non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to Monument Health in Rapid City. She was not wearing a seatbelt.

Oscar Rodriguez Jr., age 54, the driver of the Freightliner was not injured.  He was wearing a seatbelt.

I-90 westbound was closed for about two and a half hours.

South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.

The Highway Patrol is an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

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Note: Records of state-reportable crashes are now available at http://www.safesd.gov/  Records should be available about 10 days after the investigation is complete.