SIOUX FALLS, SD — An 88-year-old Minnesota man has died after a wrong-way crash on Interstate 29 in South Dakota left three girls dead and another badly hurt. The South Dakota Highway Patrol says the man was driving northbound in the southbound lanes near Colman when his Ford Ranger hit a Dodge Grand Caravan head-on on Monday.
Officials said the collision set off a chain reaction that also involved a semitruck. The driver of the pickup, a resident of Hendricks in southwestern Minnesota, was ejected and later died from his injuries. The identities of those involved have not been released publicly.
Highway patrol says the minivan was passing a semitruck
According to the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Grand Caravan was overtaking a semitruck when the wrong-way pickup struck it. After the first impact, the semitruck hit the Dodge as well and then jackknifed, adding to the severity of the wreck.
The crash happened on a stretch of Interstate 29 near Colman, a small town in southeastern South Dakota. Investigators have not publicly said why the Minnesota man entered the southbound lanes or how long he had been traveling the wrong way before the collision.
Three Flandreau girls were killed
The people inside the Dodge Grand Caravan were all from Flandreau, South Dakota. The 15-year-old girl behind the wheel and two passengers, ages 12 and 16, were killed in the crash, according to police.
A fourth passenger, also 12, survived but was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Authorities said all four girls were ejected from the vehicle during the crash, underscoring the violence of the impact.
Southbound lanes stayed closed for about six hours
Traffic on the southbound side of Interstate 29 was shut down for around six hours after the wreck, according to KOTA Radio. The closure came as emergency crews responded to the crash scene and investigators worked the highway.
Wrong-way crashes often trigger major response efforts because of the high risk of head-on impact and multi-vehicle damage. In this case, the collision involved two passenger vehicles and a semitruck, creating a prolonged disruption on a major route in eastern South Dakota.
Authorities have not released names or a final cause
The Highway Patrol has not released the names of the victims or the Minnesota driver. It also has not said whether impairment, fatigue or another factor played a role in the wrong-way travel.
The agency noted that the details were based on its latest account of the crash, and that information could change as the investigation continues. For now, officials say the wreck began with a pickup driving the wrong direction in the southbound lanes and ended with four people dead and one girl critically hurt.
A deadly reminder of the danger of wrong-way driving
This crash adds to a broader pattern of devastating wrong-way collisions on divided highways, where a single mistake can quickly become fatal. The combination of speed, head-on impact and the involvement of a semitruck made the outcome especially severe in this case.
For families in both Minnesota and South Dakota, the collision left a multi-state toll: an elderly driver dead, three young girls killed and another hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Investigators have not indicated when they expect to release more details.