Plankinton, S.D. – The names of two people who died Saturday evening in a two-vehicle crash east of Plankinton have been released.
Preliminary crash information indicates a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 near mile marker 311 when it collided head-on with a westbound 2024 Kenworth semi-tractor trailer combination.
Owen Robert Gjerdahl, 17, of Mitchell, S.D. was the driver of the Crown Victoria. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Jeffrey Duane McGhee Jr., 29, of Mt. Vernon, S.D., was a passenger in the Crown Victoria. He also was not wearing a seatbelt. Both Gjerdahl and McGhee were pronounced dead at the scene. Francisco Parra-Navarro, 63, of Sioux Falls was the driver of the semi-truck. Parra-Navarro was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured.
South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.