87-year-old man dies in UTV crash near Lake Alvin after road washes away: DPS

A elderly man has died, following a UTV crash Saturday afternoon near Lake Alvin, 5 miles east of Harrisburg, according to a press release from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety press release Sunday.

The crash happened at in about 2:10 p.m. in the 27000 block of 480th Avenue and involved a 2013 Kawasaki Mule side x side UTV.

The man, 87, was traveling northbound on 480th Avenue from 273rd Street, but the road was closed at the time as the east shoulder of the road had washed away, according to preliminary information from the department.

"As the driver attempted to turn around, he went backward over the edge of the washout," the release states. "The UTV began to roll and the driver was ejected. The driver was pronounced deceased at the scene."

This happened during a time when significant rains, starting Thursday and continuing into late Friday night, filled the lake's spillway, a water control structure meant to control the release of water into Ninemile Creek, a tributary of the Big Sioux River.

When an Argus Leader reporter arrived 5 p.m. Thursday at the spillway's confluence with the creek along 480th Avenue in Lincoln County, the spillway was completely submerged with water. A nearby road leading to a fishing dock and vantage point by the lake was also under water.

Lakeside of the road, a visible whirlpool could be seen churning about 25 feet from the road, the reporter observed. Rushing water could be heard tumbling under the road and overflowing Ninemile Creek. Ditches along sections of the road were also partially flooded, but water had not risen above the street.

It's unclear if the death is related. The name of the person has not been released, pending notification of family.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Man dies in crash near Lake Alvin after road washes away: DPS