ETHAN - Charges are pending against a 50-year-old Sioux Falls man who officers say fell asleep at the wheel in a crash on Oct. 29.
Richard Tulio was driving a Mazda pickup on Highway 42, about two miles east of Ethan, when the vehicle went off the roadway into the north ditch, ramped off a field approach and landed back on the ground.
One passenger was in the vehicle, a 60-year-old woman who sustained serious injuries. The woman, who authorities did not name, was transported via ambulance to Mitchell's Avera Queen of Peace Hospital before being brought to Sioux Falls for further treatment of her injuries.
Tulio sustained minor injuries, according to the Hanson County Sheriff's Office. Tulio told officers he was traveling approximately 70 mph at the time of the crash. He was charged with careless driving.
The crash occurred just east of the Highway 42 intersection with 413th Avenue. Mitchell Ambulance, Hanson County Sheriff's Office and Ethan Fire all responded.
