(Spirit Lake)– A man in a wheelchair was seriously injured Friday when he was struck by a pickup while crossing Highways 9 and 71 in Spirit Lake.
It took place around 2:30 p.m. in front of Pure Fishing. Police say a westbound 1993 Chevrolet pickup driven by 26-year-old Heath Michael Willison of Milford collided with the wheelchair, occupied by a 44-year-old man from Sioux Falls. His name isn’t being released pending notification of relatives. The man was taken by ambulance to Dickinson County Memorial Hospital and was life-flighted to a Sioux Falls hospital with massive head injuries.
Authorities aren’t saying if charges are pending. They do say the incident remains under investigation.
The crash resulted in a traffic tie-up that lasted for some three and-a-half hours.
It’s believed the man was in the Iowa Great Lakes with a group of paralyzed veterans for a fishing tournament this weekend.
The Spirit Lake Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Okoboji Police Department, Dickinson County Emergency Management Agency, Dickinson County Ambulance and Spirit Lake First Responders.
