RAMONA, SD – An Astoria man died Sept. 9 after a pickup truck struck him and his riding lawnmower about 2 miles northeast of Ramona, according to the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
The man was 70 years old. Preliminary crash information says he had been working on the mower after it became separated from a tailgate-mounted carrier on the evening of Sept. 9.
The collision happened around 7:20 p.m. on 223rd Street near its intersection with 451st Avenue. The Highway Patrol said the man suffered fatal injuries at the scene.
How the crash unfolded on 223rd Street
Preliminary information released by the Highway Patrol says the man was on 223rd Street when the mower detached from the carrier. He was then working with the machine when the pickup approached.
The truck was traveling westbound on 223rd Street near 451st Avenue when it hit both the pedestrian and the lawnmower. The agency has not said more about the sequence beyond its initial account.
The crash occurred on a rural stretch northeast of Ramona, a small community in Turner County. No additional roadway details were included in the initial release.
Driver was a Nunda teenager and was not hurt
Authorities said the pickup was driven by a teenager from Nunda. The driver was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash.
The Highway Patrol did not release the teenager’s name, and it also withheld the name of the man who died pending notification of family members.
Officials have not said whether any charges or citations are involved. The information released so far is limited to the initial crash summary.
South Dakota Highway Patrol says investigation remains open
The Highway Patrol said all information shared so far is preliminary, which means investigators are still gathering facts about what happened before the collision. The agency has not said what caused the mower to separate from the carrier.
It also has not provided details about speed, road conditions or visibility at the time of the crash. Those questions remain part of the ongoing investigation.
For now, the confirmed facts are the time, place and outcome: a fatal collision involving a pedestrian and a pickup truck near Ramona on Sept. 9.
Who the victim was and what authorities confirmed
The man was identified only as an Astoria resident. Authorities described him as a 70-year-old pedestrian because he was outside the vehicle and working on the mower when the truck struck him.
Astoria is a small town in northeastern South Dakota. The Highway Patrol said the family had not yet been notified when the preliminary information was released, which is why the man’s name remained withheld.
No other people were reported injured. The pickup driver remained at the scene, and the agency’s statement focused on the fatality and the investigation.
What is known so far about the fatal Ramona-area collision
The crash happened in daylight hours of the evening, with the initial report placing it at about 7:20 p.m. The pickup was westbound on 223rd Street, and the impact involved both the man and the mower.
The Highway Patrol has said the investigation is still active, so the account may be updated as more facts are learned. At this point, however, the agency has not reported any contributing factors beyond the mower’s separation from the carrier and the truck’s westbound travel.
For Ramona-area residents, the incident adds another fatal roadway crash to the state’s traffic record, though officials have not tied it to broader trends in the area.
