Names Released in Spink County Fatal Crash

What:    Two vehicle fatal crash
Where:  SD Highway 37, near SD Highway 28, 19 miles north of Huron, SD 
When:   11:36 a.m., Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Driver 1:  Thomas Joseph Wempe, 65-year-old male from Fort Pierre, SD, serious, non-life-threatening injuries
Vehicle 1: 2003 Ford F150 pulling a camper
Seat belt Used: Yes 
Passenger 1a: Laurel Jean Wempe, 63-year-old female from Fort Pierre, SD, minor injuries
Seat belt Used: Yes

Driver 2: Alfredo Vasquez-Iraola, 44-year-old male from Huron, SD, fatal injuries
Vehicle 2: 2012 Freightliner FM2
Seat belt Used: Under investigation

Spink County, S.D.- Three people were injured, one fatally, in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning 19 miles north of Huron, SD.

Preliminary crash information indicates Thomas Joseph Wempe, the driver of a 2003 Ford F150 who was pulling a camper, was traveling northbound on SD Highway 37. At the same time, Alfredo Vasquez-Iraola, the driver of a 2012 Freightliner box truck, was traveling southbound on Highway 37 and collided with the Ford in the northbound lane. The Ford came to rest in the east ditch. The Freightliner came to rest on the shoulder of the northbound lane. 

Wempe sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries and his passenger, Laurel Jean Wempe, received minor injuries. Vasquez-Iraola died from his injuries. 

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.