On 9/26/2016 at 0506 hrs, the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call regarding a vehicle accident that occurred in the 4400 block of 380th Avenue. The nature of the accident involved a single vehicle with a male and a female occupant. A Chevy Blazer was south bound when it crossed the center line and vaulted over a cement culvert. This caused the Blazer to go airborne and struck the creek embankment. The blazer flipped and struck the embankmnet with the rear end and came to rest on the drivers side.

The occupants were extricated from the vehicle by the use of mechanical means. Those occupants were transported to the Palo Alto County Hospital. Due to the nature of their injuries, the occupants were then airlifted to other hospitals. The male was transferred to Avera Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, and the female was transferred to Mercy Hospital in Mason City and then Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Ia. The extent of the occupants’ injuries were not available at the time of this press release.

The accident remains under investigation. The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Ayrshire 1st Responders, the Ayrshire Fire Department, the Ruthven Fire Department and the Palo Alto County Ambulance crews from Emmetsburg and Ruthven.

The names involved in the accident are being withheld pending family notification. Updates will be provided at a later date from the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office.