Police officer says its the worst crash he’s ever seen. 2 teens dead and 5 seriously injured
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Sioux Falls police have identified the two teens who died in what they call a ‘catastrophic’ crash.
Police say Milana Reeves and Eric Hopkins were killed. Five others inside the SUV went to the hospital. They range in age from 13 to 17 years old. Police say multiple people were thrown when the SUV crashed into a central Sioux Falls home.
The quiet neighborhood around East 18th Street and 2nd Avenue turned into what police call a catastrophic scene early Saturday morning. An SUV with at least 7 kids inside was headed east when the driver lost control. Steve Blumke was driving to work and saw the crash from start to finish.
“That white Durango came down the street, they were doing a hundred miles plus an hour and hit the dips right here in the road, and they wiped out into the tree first and then into the house, and then they were just everywhere all over the street, it was horrific,” said Blumke.
Sioux Falls School District supporting students after deadly crash
Blumke says the tree sheared off one side of the Durango, and there was nothing left to hold the teenagers inside. Blumke jumped out of his SUV and did what he could to help. As he surveyed the scene, he counted seven people.
“Four were unresponsive. The other three were yelling and crying for help. Immediately the neighborhood woke up, and everybody was out here within a minute to help everybody, so there was 20, 30 people here within a minute, and then first responders were so fast, it took them 4 minutes to get here,” said Blumke.
Kade Golden lives two doors down from the house, she was up early preparing for ballet class when she heard the crash. She ran outside and made the call to 9-1-1.
“And the operator was asking me how many people and I was just counting, 1,2,3,4,5,6 just like literally to her and I just could not believe my eyes. They were scattered all across the road, one in my yard, one a few feet away a girl on the side I mean it was awful I could hear someone screaming for help,” said Golden.
Even a veteran police officer says it’s one of the worst crashes he’s ever seen.
“I’ve been doing this job 17, 18 years and I certainly can’t think of an accident that I’ve been to that is more catastrophic than this, this was a very very serious scene and quite frankly very tragic that we lost two lives in this but also an absolute miracle that we don’t have 7 deceased in this, if you look at that vehicle,” said Siebenborn.
Police say the Minnehaha County States Attorney has been notified and will be looking for possible charges depending on the results of the investigation.
Today as we shot video of this makeshift memorial, the mother of two of the victims stopped at the crash site and told us the teenagers were returning from a food run to Gilbertos when the crash happened. As she surveyed the crash site and the neighborhood she asked out loud, “what were they thinking?”
Police say the Durango was not stolen and they know who it belongs to. They are testing to see if drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, but that could take a few weeks. We also spoke with the daughter of the 87-year-old woman who has lived in the house for more than 20 years. She says her mom was a little shaken up but unhurt.
