A South Dakota man suffered life-threatening injuries following a single-vehicle crash in rural Custer County.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office says at around 12:45 pm Tuesday, deputies responded to the accident at Sargent Road near Road 814, several miles east of Anselmo.
The investigation determined that a 2022 Volvo semi-truck pulling a 53-foot trailer was traveling east on Sargent Road when it left the roadway while negotiating a curve.
The semi entered the ditch, and the trailer struck a large cottonwood tree, causing it to separate.
The semi continued down an embankment and rolled, ejecting the driver from the vehicle.
Authorities say the driver, identified as 57-year-old Michael Johnson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was located down a steep embankment, entangled in a barbed-wire fence and partially pinned beneath debris.
The sheriff’s office says a deputy was able to free Johnson and repositioned him to help with his breathing until emergency personnel arrived.
Authorities say Johnson sustained life threatening injuries from the crash, and was taken to Melham Medical Center in Broken Bow before being flown to a Kearney hospital for further treatment.
The investigation showed that Johnson was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The accident remains under investigation by the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by Anselmo-Merna Rescue, the Broken Bow Police Department, and Hunter’s Towing.
