FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tues., May 30, 2023

CONTACT: Kieran Tate, Director of Communications

Names Released in Hutchinson County Fatal Crash

What:    Two-vehicle crash

Where:  U.S. Highway 18/U.S. Highway 81, eight miles east of Menno, S.D.

When:   12:55 p.m., Tues., May 23, 2023

Driver No. 1: Gene H. Steffen, 60, Hartington, Neb., minor injuries 

Vehicle No. 1: 2008 Chevrolet Express

Driver No. 2: Henry Fred Koens, 92, Santa Maria, Calif., fatal injuries

Vehicle No. 2: 2022 Lincoln UT

Menno, S.D.: A Santa Maria, Calif., man has been identified as the person who died last Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash east of Menno, S.D.

Preliminary crash information indicates that a 2008 Chevrolet Express was traveling south on U.S. Highway 81. A 2022 Lincoln UT was traveling east on U.S. Highway 18. The Lincoln did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign and entered the intersection. The Chevrolet collided with the Lincoln, and both vehicles entered the ditch.

Henry Fred Koens, 92, of Santa Maria, Calif., was pronounced deceased.

Gene H. Steffen, the 60-year-old male driver of the Chevrolet, sustained minor injuries.

Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.

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.