Jamestown Driver Charged After Rear-End Crash Injures Two Juveniles in Ellendale

A 35-year-old Jamestown man was charged with following too closely and driving without a license after his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado rear-ended a Peterbilt semi on Highway 11 in Ellendale at 6:17 a.m. Wednesday, seriously injuring two juvenile passengers who were not wearing seat belts.

The pickup struck a 2007 Peterbilt pulling a 2017 side-dump trailer at mile marker 78, on the 100 block of 1st Street NW. The semi was driven by a 58-year-old man from Kulm. A 39-year-old Jamestown man also rode in the Silverado. Road conditions at the time of impact were dry.

Ellendale Ambulance transported both juveniles to Avera Hospital in Aberdeen, South Dakota, with serious injuries. The two adult occupants of the pickup and the semi driver were not injured. The Dickey County Sheriff's Office, Ellendale Fire, and Ellendale Ambulance responded to the scene.

The North Dakota State Highway Patrol charged the driver with following too closely and driving without a license. Ellendale Police Chief Brad Knutson told KFGO that investigators believe speed also contributed to the collision. The NDHP said its investigation remains ongoing and has not ruled out additional charges.

The crash reflects a pattern the state has documented repeatedly. According to the North Dakota Department of Transportation's 2024 crash summary, 48 percent of the state's 89 traffic fatalities that year involved an unrestrained occupant, and 33 percent were tied to speed or aggressive driving. Both factors were present Wednesday morning on Highway 11: the two injured juveniles were unbuckled, the driver faces a following-too-closely charge, and investigators flagged speed as a likely contributor.

With two Jamestown residents in the pickup and the injured juveniles routed to a trauma-capable hospital across the South Dakota state line, the crash extends well beyond Dickey County's borders in its immediate impact on families and emergency response networks across the region.