Hankinson, North Dakota: Man, 62, Killed in Utility Vehicle Crash South of Town, Two Taken to Fargo Hospitals

A 62-year-old Hankinson man died on Monday morning, November 9, after the utility vehicle he was driving collided with an SUV at a rural intersection about one mile south of Hankinson, North Dakota, the North Dakota Highway Patrol said. Two people who were in the SUV were injured and were taken to hospitals in Fargo.

The crash happened at about 9:20 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 21 East and 167 1/2 Avenue Southeast, south of Hankinson in Richland County, according to the Highway Patrol reports carried by KFGO and KBMW News.

What troopers say happened

Troopers said the man was driving a 2026 Polaris Ranger south on 167 1/2 Avenue Southeast when he failed to stop and entered the intersection. The Ranger struck an eastbound 2003 Honda CR-V that was traveling on County Road 21.

The driver of the Polaris died at the scene. The Highway Patrol said he was not wearing a seatbelt or a helmet.

Road conditions were dry and the weather was clear at the time of the crash, KFGO reported. Troopers have not released the names of any of the three people in the two reports published on Monday, and they have not announced a final finding on the crash beyond the failure to stop described in their first account.

The two people in the SUV

The driver of the Honda, a 76-year-old Hankinson woman, suffered serious injuries. She was airlifted by Sanford AirMed to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.

A passenger in the Honda, an 83-year-old Hankinson man, was injured and was taken by ambulance to Essentia Health in Fargo.

Whether the two people in the SUV were wearing seatbelts remains under investigation, KFGO reported. Neither report on Monday gave a later condition for the woman or the man, and neither report said when names would be released.

Who responded, and what happens next

The North Dakota Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Richland County Sheriff's Office, Hankinson Ambulance Service, Hankinson Fire Department, Breckenridge-Wahpeton Ambulance Service and AirMed-Sanford Health, KBMW News reported.

The Highway Patrol said its investigation of the crash is continuing. For drivers in Richland County, the facts released on Monday are narrow and plain. A morning crash at a rural intersection killed one Hankinson man at the scene, sent a Hankinson woman to a Fargo hospital by air with serious injuries, and sent a Hankinson man to a second Fargo hospital by ambulance. The next facts in the case, including names and any final finding on why the Ranger entered the intersection, will come from the Highway Patrol as its work continues.