Three injured in two separate accidents on I29

The South Dakota Highway patrol reports two injury accidents on Interstate 29 in icy conditions Tuesday afternoon.

The first happened at about 3:13, some 18 miles north of Brookings in Deuel County.

A car driven by a 25-year-old male lost control when it hit a patch of ice on a bridge. The vehicle slid across the median and into the southbound lanes of traffic where it was hit by a semi. The car ended up in the ditch and the driver and a male passenger, neither of whom was wearing a seat belt, were thrown from the car.

The driver was taken by ambulance to the Brookings hospital and then to a Sioux Falls hospital with life threatening injuries. The passenger was taken to the Brookings hospital with life threatening injuries.

The semi driver was wearing a seat belt and was taken to the Clear Lake hospital with minor injuries.

The second crash occurred at about 4:00 p.m., one mile south of Brookings.

A northbound van driven by a 21-one-year old woman lost control in the snow and crossed the median, coming to rest in the southbound lanes where it was struck by a pickup.

The patrol says the driver of the van was wearing a seat belt but was ejected from the vehicle. She was taken to the Brookings hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The Highway Patrol is investigating both accidents.