Gayville man identified in crash south of Elk Point

ELK POINT, S.D. (Press release) – A Gayville, S.D. man has been identified as the person who died Friday night in a two-vehicle crash south of Elk Point.

A 2014 Ford F-150 pickup was southbound when the driver lost control due to icy road conditions. The vehicle went across the median and into the northbound lanes where it collided head-on with a northbound 2016 GMC Yukon.

Mark Erickson, the 57-year-old driver of the pickup, was partially ejected and was pronounced dead at the scene. Glynis Erickson of Gayville, the 58-year-old passenger of the pickup, suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to the Vermillion hospital.

Eric Pollitt, 49, of Canton, IL, was the driver of the Yukon. He sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to a Sioux City, Iowa hospital.

All three people involved were wearing seat belts.

That northbound section of Interstate 29 was closed to traffic for about three hours. Traffic was rerouted through the Jefferson Port of Entry.

South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.

The Highway Patrol is part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.