Names Released in 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: Micheal Richard Washechek,38-year-old male from Harrold, SD, fatal injuries
Seatbelt Use: No
Passenger 1: Aaron Bailey Berkebile, 23-year-old male from Pierre, SD, 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.

Preliminary crash information indicates Micheal R. Washechek, the driver of a 2008 Mercury Mariner SUV, was 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. A passenger, Aaron B. Berkebile, sustained life-threatening injuries. Washechek was pronounced deceased on scene. Both occupants were not wearing seatbelts.

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.