A fatal two-vehicle crash occurred on SD Highway 79, 11 miles north of Sturgis, SD, at 10:21 a.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024. The incident claimed the life of an 83-year-old woman.
The accident involved a 2022 Ford F-350 driven by a 44-year-old male with a male passenger of the same age. The vehicle was pulling a trailered pontoon boat. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt, while the passenger was. Both individuals escaped the incident without injuries.
The second vehicle, a 2016 Chrysler 300, was driven by the 83-year-old, Carol Olson, who unfortunately succumbed to fatal injuries. She was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Preliminary crash information indicates that the trailer coupler of the Ford F-350 disconnected from the pickup while traveling north on SD Highway 79 near mile marker 124. The safety chains failed to control the trailer and boat, causing them to enter the southbound lane and collide head-on with the Chrysler. The trailer, boat, and Chrysler came to rest on the southbound shoulder and in the west ditch.
