3-car head-on accident near St. Onge results in minor injuries
A three-car head-on collision three miles north of St. Onge near mile marker seventeen on Highway thirty four Thursday resulted in only minor injuries. Pioneer photo by Lacey Peterson
LAWRENCE COUNTY — A three-car pile up in inbetween St. Onge and Belle Fourche Thursday evening closed off Highway thirty four in both directions for about a half an hour and backed up traffic for more than one mile while rescue crews worked to free passengers trapped in the wreckage.
Emergency responders received a call for assistance at Four:24 p.m., notifying them of the accident that occurred three miles north of St. Onge, near mile marker 17.
Tony Mangan, public information officer with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, told the Pioneer that a dark grey colored two thousand seven Toyota Tundra, operated by Douglas Watling, 49, of Everett, Wash., was traveling south following a two thousand six Pontiac Grand Prix, also dark grey in color. Watling reportedly attempted to pass the Pontiac, failing to see an oncoming maroon colored one thousand nine hundred ninety one Subaru XT6 traveling north, resulting in a head-on collision inbetween Watling’s vehicle and the Subaru. The collision also coerced the Pontiac into the back of the Toyota, Mangan said.
The Pontiac was being operated by a 33-year-old masculine who had a 56-year-old masculine passenger, both wearing seat belts, resulting in no injuries.
The Subaru, driven by a 40-year-old masculine who was also wearing his seat belt, suffered minor injuries and required extraction from the vehicle.
Mangan said Watling, who has criminal charges pending related to the accident, was wearing a seat belt and was uninjured.
Mangan declined to release the names of the occupants of the other two vehicles, citing Marsy’s Law.
He classified the accident as a close call.
“I think the fact that it emerges like there was only minor injuries to one or two of the drivers, and also the fact that the majority of the people involved were wearing seat belts, helped avert what could have been indeed catastrophic crash,” he said. The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. Other departments on scene included Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Belle Fourche Police Department, Whitewood Police Department, Whitewood Ambulance, and Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service.
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