How a pickup truck reached the water near the Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge remains undetermined. The Knox County Sheriff's Office news release, as described by Yankton.net, did not state a cause.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation identifies the bridge as N-14 at the Missouri River Bridge at Niobrara in its named-highways list. Near its south end, a white Ford F-350 was found in a swampy area southwest of the bridge, about 200 feet from the river's shore, according to the Yankton.net account.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at about 10:54 p.m. Sunday reporting an occupied vehicle in water. The account says 50-year-old Ryan Martin, of Springfield, South Dakota, was trapped in the truck and could not get out before it went under. He was pronounced dead at the scene after the vehicle was recovered.
Responders included Niobrara Fire & Rescue, the Nebraska State Patrol, Yankton County Search and Rescue, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Santee Sioux Nation Tribal Police Department and Verdigre Fire and Rescue. LifeNet also sent an air ambulance, and Gary's Repair & Towing of Yankton assisted with access to the truck and its recovery, Yankton.net reported. The account provides no further conclusion about how the vehicle entered the water.
