Milbank man dies in head-on crash

MILBANK – A Milbank man died in a two-vehicle crash Monday on 149th Street four miles east of Milbank.

Chad Jason Mielitz, 34, was killed in a crash between the 1992 Chevrolet pickup he was driving and a 1995 GMC-White semi tractor-trailer. Caleb John Haukos, 30, of Correll, Minn., driver of the semi, was eastbound on 149th Street. He told authorities he reached a hilltop and saw a vehicle enter the roadway at an intersection and turn east. Haukos braked, and his vehicle and trailer traveled over the centerline. Mielitz was traveling westbound, and his vehicle and Haukos’ vehicle collided head-on.

Mielitz was dead at the scene. Haukos was taken to a Milbank hospital with minor injuries.

No further information is immediately available.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating. Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Milbank Fire and Rescue assisted.

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