Fatal accident graphic.
GROTON, S.D. – A Fayetteville, N.C., woman has been identified as the person who died as a result of injuries sustained in a one-vehicle crash on Monday, July 11, 2022, east of Groton.
Preliminary crash information indicates that a 2017 Toyota Camry was eastbound on U.S. Highway 12 when it struck a deer. The vehicle drove through the median, across the westbound lanes, entered a ditch, and went into a slough.
Melissa Sweeney, the 50-year-old driver, was first airlifted to an Aberdeen hospital and then airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. She died there on Tuesday, July 12. Her seatbelt use is under investigation. She was the only occupant.
South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.
The Highway Patrol is an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.
What: One-Vehicle Crash
Where: U.S. Highway 12, mile marker 314
Five miles east of Groton, S.D.
When: 1:10 a.m., Monday, July 11, 2022
Driver: Melissa Sweeney, 50, Fayetteville, N.C., Fatal Injuries
Vehicle: 2017 Toyota Camry
(The SDDPS contributed this report/news release.)
