FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021

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

 Names Released In Grant County Fatal Crash

What: Two-Vehicle Crash

Where:  Intersection of 149th Street and 482nd Avenue,

              Three miles south of Milbank, S.D,

When:    3:05 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, 2021

Driver No. 1: Teresa Virchow, 58, Lake Preston, S.D., Life-Threatening Injuries

Vehicle: 2014 Peterbilt Conventional Semi-Truck and Trailer

Driver No. 2: Matthew Blehr, 28, Sioux Falls, S.D., Fatal Injuries 

Vehicle: 2005 Volkswagen Jetta

MILBANK, S.D. — A Sioux Falls, S.D. man has been identified as the person who died in a two-vehicle crash that occurred Friday afternoon south of Milbank.

Preliminary crash information indicates that a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2017 was southbound on 482nd Avenue when it failed to stop for the stop sign at the intersection with 149th Street. The Volkswagen collided in the intersection with a 2014 Peterbilt semi-truck and trailer that was eastbound on 149th Street.

Matthew Blehr, the 28-year-old driver of the Volkswagen, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a seat belt.

Teresa Virchow, 58, of Lake Preston, S.D., was the driver of the semi. She received life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. Her seat belt use is under investigation.

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

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.