Names released in fatal Lincoln County crash

TEA, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A Sioux Falls woman has been identified as the person who died last Wednesday morning in a one-vehicle crash southeast of Tea.

The crash occurred at 10:30 a.m. on Interstate 29.

The driver, 49-year-old Michelle Nimick, suffered fatal injuries.

The passenger of the vehicle, 52-year-old Irvin Loeffler Jr., also of Sioux Falls, experienced serious non-life-threatening injuries.

According to preliminary crash information, the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup was northbound on Interstate 29 when the driver lost control while merging into the left lane of travel. The vehicle entered the median and rolled.

Nimick was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Irvin Loeffler, Jr. sustained serious non-life threatening injuries and was transported by ambulance to a Sioux Falls hospital.

According to South Dakota Department of Public Safety, road conditions are thought to have been a factor in the crash. Neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt.

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