VIDEO: The April 9, 2024 Haines Avenue SUV crash was Rapid Cityโs deadliest vehicle crash of the year, and one many first responders wonโt soon forget. โThis was a horrific and super critical incident,โ Rapid City Police Officer Lincoln Gibbs said.
An accident investigation team determined the SUV was traveling southbound on Haines Avenue at 117 miles per hour when driver Zach Vermuelen lost control. The vehicle skipped the curb on the s-curve near The Monument, passing into the opposite lane, and flying into the third story of an apartment building across the street.
Vermuelen and passenger Andrew Smith died on the scene. When firefighters, police officers, and paramedics arrived at the scene, they found another passenger – 20-year-old Jayden Quinn – near death in the vehicle.
First responders worked quickly to remove Quinn from the devastating wreck. The SUV had severed a gas line when it struck the building, adding extra danger to an already treacherous situation. The first responders carried Quinn up the embankment back to Haines Avenue, where she was loaded into an ambulance.
After the rescue, Quinnโs fate hung in the balance. She was airlifted to Denver for emergency medical treatment and remained in critical condition. If she survived, Quinn would face a long road to recovery.
