Three people were injured, one fatally, in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning 19 miles north of Huron, SD.
Preliminary crash information indicates Thomas Joseph Wempe, the driver of a 2003 Ford F150 who was pulling a camper, was traveling northbound on SD Highway 37. At the same time, Alfredo Vasquez-Iraola, the driver of a 2012 Freightliner box truck, was traveling southbound on Highway 37 and collided with the Ford in the northbound lane. The Ford came to rest in the east ditch. The Freightliner came to rest on the shoulder of the northbound lane.
Wempe sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries and his passenger, Laurel Jean Wempe, received minor injuries. Vasquez-Iraola died from his injuries.
The South Dakota 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.
In Touch 11/13/26
November 13, 2026
Dr. Kenneth Boulton joins us to talk about the Northern School of Fine Arts…
