Vehicle Rollover With Extrication

A park visitor reported a single-vehicle rollover accident just outside the park’s Northeast Entrance Station along Highway 240 on July 18th. Park personnel and the park’s structural fire brigade were immediately dispatched. Minuteman Missile NHS chief ranger Pam Griswold was the first to arrive and began assessing injuries to the vehicle’s two occupants. The driver appeared seriously injured and was pinned within the car. Members of the structural fire brigade began extrication efforts. The driver’s door and vehicle roof were cut off and the driver was loaded onto a life flight helicopter and flown to the Rapid City Regional Hospital. During extrication and the subsequent emergency medical care, rangers closed down Highway 240 for approximately one hour. Due to its complexity and location, the incident required considerable resources from both Badlands National Park and Minuteman Missile NHS. The vehicle’s other occupant was transported by private vehicle to the Rapid City Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The accident investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol.