BROOKINGS A 48-year-old Brookings woman who died in a two-vehicle collision on Oct. 19 was identified by authorities on Friday as Sixta Erika Huerta Garcia.
The incident occurred at 6:05 a.m. at the intersection of state Highway 30 and 471st Avenue 6 miles north of Brookings, according to information from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. A 53-year-old Arlington man, Jody Alan Weiss, sustained minor injuries in the collision.
Preliminary crash information indicates Garcia was driving north on 471st Avenue in a 2007 Ford Edge. At the same time, Weiss, who was driving a 2023 GMC Sierra, was traveling east on Highway 30. As he approached the intersection with 471st Avenue, Weiss failed to stop at the stop sign, entered the intersection and collided with Garcias vehicle, according to the DPS. Both vehicles traveled off the roadway into the northeast ditch.
Garcia died at the scene of the crash, according to the DPS. Weiss was wearing a seat belt, the agency wrote, while Garcias seat belt use is still being investigated.
According to an earlier story in the Brookings Register, the collision prompted a discussion at the Brookings County Commission meeting on Oct. 21, where Sheriff Marty Stanwick and commissioners talked about possibly adding safety improvements at the intersection. These included stop sign “twirlies” and flashing lights to alert motorists to the stop signs ahead.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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