49-YEAR-OLD FREEMAN MAN DIES IN ACCIDENT

Adam Van Hove, a 1994 graduate of Freeman High School, died Wednesday, Dec. 4 in a single vehicle accident on Highway 18 one mile east of Menno Wednesday night, Dec. 4. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety issued a news release about the fatality Thursday morning, Dec. 5 but did not name the victim pending family notification.

A death notice by Walter Funeral Home later on Thursday confirmed that Van Hove passed away Dec. 4, the result of an automobile accident. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Dec. 14 starting at 10:30 a.m., at the Freeman Community Center in Freeman. Light refreshments will be available.

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, the accident happened at 9:40 p.m. Preliminary crash information indicates the driver of a 2004 Cadillac Escalade was traveling east on US Highway 18 and the vehicle went off the road into the north ditch, through a field, and then eventually collided with a tree. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol — an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety — is investigating the crash.