PARKSTON — A 15-year-old girl has died following a single-vehicle rollover crash southwest of Parkston on Thursday.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety said the crash occurred at 2:36 p.m. on Thursday afternoon on 409th Avenue, located 1 mile southwest of Parkston.
The crash occurred when a Ford Ranger truck was traveling north on 409th Avenue, and the female driver swerved to miss a mud hole in the road and lost control of the truck. The vehicle went into the ditch, rolled several times and caught fire, according to the Department of Public Safety preliminary investigation.
The 15-year-old driver died at the scene. Three passengers, who were not wearing seat belts, were thrown from the vehicle and sustained life-threatening injuries. A 16-year-old male was transported to Avera St. Benedict's Hospital in Parkston, while two other passengers, a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, were eventually flown to Sioux Falls hospitals for treatment.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash.
