Cause behind deadly Sioux Falls crash could take weeks to determine, police say
Officials with the Sioux Falls Police Department are still trying to determine who was behind the wheel of the deadly crash that killed two teenagers and injured five more during the weekend.
And the overall reconstruction of the crash could take a few weeks before the department has any real answers, said department spokesman Sam Clemens during the daily police briefing with media Tuesday morning.
"We'll wait for that, but it's very detailed," Clemens said.
The crash happened at 6:08 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of East 18th Street and South 2nd Avenue. The SFPD said in a press release that a Dodge Durango SUV, headed east, lost control and collided with a tree and a house on the northwest corner of the street.
The incident claimed the lives of Eric James Hopkins, 15, and Milana Marie Reeves, 15. Police have not released the names of those who were injured, but said they were a 13-year-old, a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
More: Deadly Sioux Falls crash could lead to charges from Minnehaha County State Attorney’s Office
Investigators will be mapping the scene, evaluating data from the vehicle and taking into account any video or witness testimony to get a better understanding of what happened for the reconstruction, Clemens said. That includes understanding how physics played a role.
"They're doing a lot of math to put things together and figure out where things ended up," he said.
As of Tuesday, detectives were also trying to talk to the teenagers who were hospitalized, all of whom were in serious or critical but stable condition as of Monday morning.
"Anytime you have patients in a hospital, it makes things a little bit more challenging," Clemens said. "We don't just have direct access to walk into the hospital. And obviously, getting them treated, getting them the medical attention is the first priority."
Lt. Andrew Siebenborn said during a police briefing with media Monday morning that speed played a contributing factor to the crash, and several were not wearing seatbelts at the time.
More: 2 juveniles dead, 5 seriously injured in Saturday crash in Sioux Falls
"We don't know what that speed was," Clemens said Tuesday, adding the reconstruction of the scene will help determine a minimum speed at the time of the crash. "...Looking at the video, talking to the witnesses and seeing the damage that was done to the tree, the house and certainly the vehicle, it's pretty easy to say that speed was a contributing factor in this accident."
It's unknown if drugs or alcohol may have also contributed to the crash, and whether toxicology reports have been done on each of the individuals involved.
The Minnehaha County State's Attorney's Office will be weighing whether to press charges in the crash.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Police: Investigation into deadly Sioux Falls crash could take weeks
