On the afternoon of January 16, 2026, severe winter weather created treacherous driving conditions across central South Dakota, with blowing snow leading to sudden whiteout visibility on Interstate 90.
These hazardous circumstances set the stage for a devastating multi-vehicle chain-reaction crash at mile marker 244 on westbound I-90, approximately five miles west of Reliance in Lyman County, South Dakota. The incident unfolded rapidly around 3:44 p.m., involving five vehicles and resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries.
The sequence began when a 2025 Kenworth semi-truck, driven by Drew Allen Kellison, was traveling westbound and encountered the reduced visibility, prompting the driver to slow or stop. Following behind, a 2008 Mercury Sable driven by 28-year-old Reed Glenholden Harter of Colome, South Dakota, failed to stop in time and rear-ended the semi.
Reed Glenholden Harter and his front-seat passenger, 27-year-old Chandler Cole Bakley of Martin, South Dakota, sustained fatal injuries in the Mercury Sable despite both wearing seat belts. They were pronounced dead at the scene by responding emergency personnel. Two other passengers in the Sable suffered injuries and were transported for medical treatment, along with occupants from at least one additional vehicle involved in the pileup. The semi driver, Kellison, emerged uninjured.
South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers and local first responders arrived promptly to the remote stretch of Interstate 90 at mile marker 244, five miles west of Reliance, Lyman County, South Dakota, securing the area amid ongoing poor weather. The westbound lanes were closed for several hours to allow for crash reconstruction, vehicle removal, and debris clearance, while investigators documented the positions and damage to confirm the chain-reaction nature of the event.
Authorities identified whiteout conditions from blowing snow as the primary contributing factor, emphasizing how quickly visibility dropped to near zero in open prairie areas like this section of I-90. No indications of impairment or other driver errors beyond the weather-related challenges have been reported in preliminary findings, with the South Dakota Highway Patrol continuing its full investigation into the exact dynamics.