Buffalo County Fatal Crash

What:    Single vehicle fatal crash
Where:  SD Highway 34, mile marker 271, three miles east of Ft. Thompson, SD
When:   3:01 a.m., Sunday, September 1, 2024

Vehicle 1: 2008 Mercury Mariner
Driver 1: 38-year-old male, fatal injuries
Seatbelt Use: No
Passenger 1: 23-year-old male, life-threatening injuries
Seatbelt Use: No

Buffalo County, S.D.- A 38-year-old man died and a passenger sustained life-threatening injuries Sunday, September 1, in a single vehicle crash near Ft. Thompson, SD.

The names of the persons involved have not been released pending notification of family members.

Preliminary crash information indicates the driver and passenger of a 2008 Mercury Mariner SUV were traveling westbound on SD Highway 34 near mile marker 271 when the vehicle left the roadway where it vaulted over a driveway approach and crashed in the south ditch. Both occupants were not wearing seatbelts. The passenger sustained life-threatening injuries. The driver was pronounced deceased on scene.

The South Dakota 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.