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Student-teacher parking lot accident injures one

An accident that occurred over the lunch hour Wednesday between a teacher and student resulted in the teacher going to the hospital with injuries. The accident occurred at 11:59 a.m. Wednesday at the corner of East Ninth Avenue and the school par...

One person is loaded onto an ambulance after being removed from a Jeep from an injury-accident Wednesday in the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy parking lot. (Matt Gade/Republic)
One person is loaded onto an ambulance after being removed from a Jeep from an injury-accident Wednesday in the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy parking lot. (Matt Gade/Republic)

An accident that occurred over the lunch hour Wednesday between a teacher and student resulted in the teacher going to the hospital with injuries.

The accident occurred at 11:59 a.m. Wednesday at the corner of East Ninth Avenue and the school parking lot near the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy building, which is across the street from the high school.

According to Mitchell Police Division Patrol Officer Kyle McLaughlin, an Audi four-door car, driven by Walker Somerville, 18, of Mitchell, was entering the lot from Ninth Avenue, while a Jeep Cherokee, driven by Dale Copeland, 43, of Mitchell, was leaving the parking lot and turning onto Ninth Avenue.

McLaughlin said neither driver saw each other until the last minute, and neither car could stop because of an icy parking lot. Somerville's car hit Copeland's on the driver's door before the vehicles contacted two other parked cars in the lot.

Copeland was wearing a seat belt and was traveling at about 20 mph, while Somerville -- who was not wearing a seat belt -- was traveling at 25 mph. Copeland's vehicle was towed, while Somerville's car was drivable but had front-end damage. The two other parked cars suffered minor damage.

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Copeland, who is a teacher at Second Chance High School, was taken to Avera Queen of Peace with non-life threatening injuries, McLaughlin said. No citations were issued in the incident.

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