Sioux Falls, South Dakota – A 21-year-old man from Beresford has been charged with murder in a crash that took the lives of three passengers. It took investigators three months to gather enough evidence to press charges against Hayden Hall for the tragic incident that occurred on December 9, 2023. Court documents revealed that Hall had cocaine in his system at the time of the fatal crash.
The victims of the crash were identified as 18-year-old Collin Hlavac, 19-year-old Kaydence Nygaard, and 20-year-old Gerard Muller. The pickup carrying the passengers went off the road, flew in the air, landed in a ditch, and rolled, resulting in the fatalities.
Initially, first responders were unable to locate Hall at the scene of the crash, and two passengers succumbed to their injuries. Nygaard, the third passenger, was found alive but later died in the arms of a first responder. Following the tragic incident, family and friends of the victims visited the crash site to pay their respects and mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Investigators later discovered that Hall, injured from the crash, fled to a nearby dairy where he stole a car and drove to Beresford before being apprehended. A key question that authorities had to determine was who was driving the pickup during the fatal crash. The investigation was extensive and involved forensic analysis of cell phones, vehicle event data crash recorder downloads, and DNA evidence.
Hall, who is believed to have been the driver, now faces charges of murder and manslaughter for each of the victims. It was revealed that prior to the fatal crash, Hall had been involved in a high-speed chase with three underage girls in his car, resulting in child abuse and reckless driving charges. A trial for this incident is scheduled for the following month.