Several people were injured, including one with life threatening injuries, in two accidents which happened about ten minutes apart on I-90 just west of Plankinton on Thursday night.
The first crash was a single-vehicle accident. A Chevy 2500 pickup was traveling westbound at mile marker 306 two miles west of Plankinton just after 10 PM when the vehicle left the roadway and went into the north ditch. The driver, a 28-year old male, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered life threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital in Mitchell and was later airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. Three passengers – a 24-year old female, a 58-year old male, and an 8-year old female – suffered serious non-life threatening injuries. They were taken to the Mitchell hospital. None of the occupants were wearing seat belts.
The second crash was also a single-vehicle accident. A GMC Envoy was traveling westbound at mile marker 305 three miles west of Plankinton at 10:15 PM. It passed the scene of the first crash, and traffic started to slow down and merge into the left lane where the Envoy was traveling. The driver swerved and braked to avoid other vehicles, and she lost control. The vehicle rolled and ended up on its wheels in the median. The 68-year old female driver, a 40-year old female passenger, and a 17-year old male passenger all suffered minor injuries and were taken to a Mitchell hospital. All three occupants were wearing seat belts.
An investigation into the crashes is being conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol.