A 57 year old Sioux Falls, South Dakota man suffered life threatening injuries in a single vehicle semi truck crash Tuesday afternoon in rural Custer County.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to the crash at approximately 12:44 PM on Sargent Road near road 814 east of Milburn Road.
According to the sheriff’s office, Michael Johnson was driving a 2022 Volvo semi truck pulling a 53 foot trailer eastbound on Sargent Road when the vehicle left the road on a curve. The trailer struck a large tree in the ditch and separated from the truck, which continued down an embankment and rolled, ejecting Johnson.
A responding sheriff’s deputy found Johnson, the lone occupant of the truck, down a steep embankment, entangled in a barbed wire fence and partially pinned beneath debris. The deputy freed Johnson and repositioned him to assist with his breathing until emergency medical personnel arrived.
Johnson was transported by Anselmo-Merna Rescue to Melham Medical Center in Broken Bow before being flown to a Kearney hospital for further treatment.
An investigation, which is still ongoing, determined Johnson was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
CCSO was assisted by Anselmo-Merna rescue, the Broken Bow Police Department, and Hunter’s Towing.
