Life flight transports victim after two-car crash near Hill City

Accident near Hill City — An accident early Tuesday morning sent one person to the hospital and another life-flighted to Rapid City Regional Hospital. Neither have life-threatening injuries. Traffic was backed up a mile outside of town as crews directed the life-flight helicopter and ambulance on the scene to pick up the injuried parties. [PN Photo/Charley Najacht]

By Bev Pechan

One person was transported by Hill City ambulance and one was life-flighted by helicopter to Rapid City Regional Hospital after a head-on collision on South Highway 16 near Mitchell Lake Road around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday.
Taylor French, 19, Hill City, was driving his 1999 Ford Mustang northbound when he allegedly crossed the center line and hit a southbound 2000 Honda CRV driven by Kevin Cook, 41, of Rapid City. Cook was flown to Rapid City with serious, but non- life-threatening injuries, according to Sgt. Rick Miller of the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Cook’s passenger, Darin Kern, 43, Zimmerman, Minn., was also taken to Regional with undisclosed injuries. French, who was reportedly not injured was cited for driving on the wrong side of the road. All three were wearing seat belts, according to the initial report taken by the Highway Patrol, Miller said.
Sara Booth from Hill City’s ambulance team told the Prevailer that, “When we pulled up, I saw broken vehicles and one in the ditch.” Hill City had two ambulances at the scene and Booth stated that she was unaware of how many persons were involved in the crash or the extent of injuries as she was interfacing with the helicopter as it prepared to land on the highway. Traffic was backed up a long distance in both directions, Booth said, as people were headed for work.
Miller said that while there was no indication on his preliminary report pertaining to weather conditions, others interviewed stated that the portion of the highway involved is frequently slippery during the winter months. Tuesday’s temperatures were warming up after an overnight freeze and by 8:30 a.m. were near 40 degrees between Hill City and Keystone.
Deputy Doug Campbell of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department and fellow officer Terry Comrie were also at the accident scene. Campbell stated that there is at least “one rollover there every winter. Even if warms up, that stretch of road doesn’t warm up,” he said, but, he added, “it didn’t feel that slippery this morning.”
Campbell said that a rollover occurred on Deerfield Road Monday which was possibly caused by road conditions at the time. A representative at Central Hills Towing told the Prevailer that another accident took place near Tuesday’s crash about a week before when someone took the corner too fast and went into the ditch.
Wally Matush lives near the stretch of highway where Tuesday’s mishap occurred and said that cars wound up off the road near her home “quite often.” She said she has contacted DOT in the past about erecting a guard rail, but was told that they did not deem it necessary. “I think by the bridge – it’s a really bad area there,” she said.
Miller said the investigation into the exact cause of the crash is ongoing.