Two people died and five others were injured Sunday morning in a two-vehicle crash east of Colome. Names of the seven people involved are not yet being released pending notification of family members.
Preliminary crash information indicates a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup was westbound on U.S. Highway 18 at around 7:45 when it crossed the centerline and collided head on with an eastbound 2015 GMC Sierra 3500 pickup pulling a cattle trailer.
Two of the occupants in the GMC pickup died as a result of their injuries. A 40-year-old female passenger died at the Winner hospital while a 14-year-old male passenger was pronounced dead at the Gregory hospital. The 45-year-old male driver suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. All three occupants were wearing seat belts.
Three of the four occupants of the Ford pickup sustained serious non-life threatening injuries and all three were transported to Sioux Falls hospitals. All but the female passenger were wearing seat belts. Charges are pending against the driver.
That section of U.S. Highway 18 was closed to traffic for about seven hours.
An investigation continues.