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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, July 11, 2008
CONTACT: Lt. Alan Welsh, South Dakota Highway Patrol,605.367.5700
Eight Vehicles Crash: Two Injured
Pierre, SD –Two people were injured today in a crash involving eight vehicles on Interstate 29. The crash happened just after 9:00 this morning one mile south of the 41st Street Exit in Sioux Falls.
The chain-reaction crash happened when traffic slowed to a near stop in the northbound interstate lanes and series of cars quickly hit the brakes. A dump truck rear-ended a Saturn, causing the Saturn to rear-end a Ford, and the Ford to rear-end an Oldsmobile.
In an effort to avoid colliding with the Saturn, the dump truck steered toward the median. Following the collision with the Saturn, the dump truck entered the median, began to roll and came to a rest in the southbound lanes of I-29.
A portion of the southbound I-29 lanes was closed because the disabled truck was blocking traffic. Again, a series of cars quickly slowed down. A Chevy was unable to stop and rear-ended a Pontiac. The Chevy also rear-ended a Chrysler, causing the Chrysler to rear-end a Plymouth.
The crashes caused the interstate to be closed from the 41st Street Exit south to the I-229 Exit for about three and a half hours.
Below are details on the people involved in the crash.
First Crash (Northbound Lanes)
- Michael MyGrant, 52, of Sioux Falls was driving the dump truck. He was wearing his seatbelt and sustained neck and back injuries. MyGrant was transported to a Sioux Falls hospital.
- Kassandra Schumacher, 25, of Harrisburg was driving the Saturn. She was wearing her seatbelt and sustained serious injuries. Schumacher was transported to a Sioux Falls hospital.
- A 16-year-old Harrisburg girl was driving the Ford. She was wearing her seatbelt and was uninjured.
- Robert Weideman, 19, of Sioux Falls was driving the Oldsmobile. Weideman was wearing his seatbelt and was uninjured.
Secondary Crash (Southbound Lanes)
- Rodney M. Hansen, 54, of Canby, MN was driving the Chevy Colorado. He was wearing his seatbelt and was uninjured.
- Wendell R. Toews, 30, of Hadashville, Canada was driving the Pontiac Trans Van. He was wearing his seatbelt and was uninjured.
- Gayle L. Eberly, 60, of David City, NE was driving the Chrysler Limited Van. Eberly was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured.
- Todd B. Harder, 39, of Aberdeen was driving the Plymouth Voyager. Harder was wearing his seatbelt and was also uninjured.
“Although this situation caused some injuries and was quite a mess, we are fortunate that everyone was buckled up. If people hadn’t been wearing their seatbelts, I guarantee we would have seen more injuries,” said Lt. Alan Welsh, South Dakota Highway Patrol.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash.
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