FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020

CONTACT: Tony Mangan, Public Information Officer, 605-280-5648

Codington County Fatal Crash

What:    Two-vehicle crash

Where:  455^th Avenue (old Highway 81)

              14 miles north of Watertown, S.D.

When:   8:10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31, 2020

Driver No 1: Leon Pies, 67, Hubbard, NE, Fatal Injuries

Passengers: Patsy Pies, 65, Hubbard, NE, Life-Threatening Injuries

                     Dianne Nielsen, 72, Marvin, S.D., No Injuries

                     Roy Nielsen, 72, Marvin, S.D., No Injuries

Vehicle: 2004 Chevy Silverado Pickup

Driver No. 2: Gerald Bury, 52, Milbank, S.D., No Injuries

Vehicle: 2007 Peterbilt Semi Truck

WATERTOWN, S.D. – A 67-year-old male has died of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash that occurred Monday, Aug. 31, north of Watertown.

A 2007 Peterbilt semi-truck was southbound on 455^th Avenue with an oversized load. It was hauling a flatbed trailer which carried a four-wheel tractor with a silage blade. The blade struck the driver’s side of a northbound 2004 Chevy Silverado pickup.

The pickup driver, Leon Pies, and a passenger, 65-year-old Patsy Pies, both suffered life threatening injuries. They were airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. Leon Pies died as a result of his injuries on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Sioux Falls. They are both from Hubbard, NE.

Two other passengers in the pickup – Dianne Nielsen and Roy Nielsen – were not injured. Both are 72 years old and from Marvin, S.D.

Gerald Bury, 52, of Milbank, S.D., was the driver of the semi-truck. He was not injured.

South Dakota Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash. All information is only preliminary at this time.

The Highway Patrol is part 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.