Residents of a Rapid City apartment complex were stunned on the night of April 9 when an SUV slammed into their building shortly before 11 p.m. While the Memorial Park Apartments suffered severe damage and residents were forced to relocate temporarily, none of them where injured in the crash. Sadly, the two men inside the vehicle did not survive the impact. 

The Rapid City Police Department reported that 28-year-old Zachary Vermeulen and 24-year-old Andrew Smith died after their vehicle veered out of control on Haines Avenue. A third man in the vehicle was seriously injured. As investigators from the RCPD’s Critical Accident Reconstruction Team began to review the evidence, several potential hazards were linked to the incident, including the following:

• Speeding — Witnesses told police that they saw the SUV traveling at an extremely high speed southbound on Haines Avenue just before it crossed over into to the northbound lane and struck the apartment complex. The investigation indicated the vehicle was going 117 miles per hour. At high speeds, even minor steering adjustments can lead to loss of control, and the force of a collision is greatly increased.

• Secondary explosion — Not all of the harm stemming from a vehicle accident occurs at the moment of impact. In this case, contact from the SUV broke one of the apartment building’s gas lines. The resulting leak made the area extremely dangerous to anyone in the area. This led police to close down a section of Haines Avenue and evacuate about 50 people to a nearby Holiday Inn. Even in accidents exclusively involving vehicles, a secondary explosion can occur if a gas tank is ruptured or a truck is carrying flammable material. 

• Dangerous roads — Numerous serious vehicle accidents, including fatal crashes, have occurred on Haines Avenue. One focus of the accident investigation is to assess whether additional safety measures should be employed to reduce the risk on that heavily used road. 

If you were hurt in a car crash or another type of incident caused by someone else’s negligence, the attorneys at Anker Law Group in Rapid City can file a personal injury claim on your behalf. We will pursue the compensation you need to cover your medical bills, lost income and the pain and suffering you experienced as a result of the accident. For a free initial consultation with an accomplished South Dakota attorney, please call 605-519-5967 or contact us online.