Names Released In Moody County Fatal Crash (Update)

February 6, 2022

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 4, 2022
CONTACT: Tony Mangan, Public Information Officer, 605-280-5648

Names Released In Moody County Fatal Crash (Update)

What:    Two-Vehicle Crash
Where: Interstate 29, mile marker 114
              Eight miles west of Flandreau, S.D.
When: 9 a.m., Monday, Jan. 24, 2022

Driver: Johannes Hofer, 19, Sioux Falls, S.D., No Injuries
Passengers: Jerome Waldner, 18, Sioux Falls, S.D., Serious Non-Life Threatening Injuries
                      Lucas Decker, 42, Sioux Falls, S.D., Minor Injuries
Vehicle: 2006 Chevrolet Silverado Pickup

Driver: Pat Mitchel, 75, White, S.D., Fatal Injuries
Passenger: Doris Mitchel, 76, White, S.D., Fatal Injuries
Vehicle: 2006 Nissan Murano


FLANDREAU, S.D. – A second person has died as a result of injuries suffered in a two-vehicle crash that occurred Jan. 24, 2022 west of Flandreau.

Preliminary crash information indicates that a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, pulling an enclosed trailer, was northbound on Interstate 29 when the vehicle hit a patch of ice. The vehicle and trailer slid through the median and collided with a 2006 Nissan Murano, that was southbound on Interstate 29.

Pat Mitchel, the 75-year-old driver of the Nissan, was pronounced dead at the scene. Doris Mitchel, the 76-year-old female passenger, sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to a Sioux Falls hospital. She died Thursday, Feb. 3. Both were wearing seat belts.

Two male passengers in the pickup were injured. One passenger, 18, suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a Sioux Falls hospital. The other passenger, 42, received minor injuries and was taken to the Flandreau hospital. Johannes Hofer, the 19-year-old male driver from Sioux Falls, was not injured. Seat belt use for all three pickup occupants is under investigation.

Both I-29 southbound lanes were closed to traffic for several hours.

South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.

The Highway Patrol is part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

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Note: Records of state-reportable crashes are now available at http://www.safesd.gov/  Records should be available about 10 days after the investigation is complete.