2nd man dies after Highway 22 crash north of Dickinson

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A second man has died after a head-on crash with a semi on Highway 22 Wednesday morning in thick fog.

Michael Williams II, 19 of Mississippi, passed a vehicle and struck Dickinson resident Jamie Merkel’s semi head-on at about 5 a.m., according to a North Dakota Highway Patrol press release.

“It was extremely foggy and Williams decided to pass when he shouldn’t of due to the low visibility,” HP Sgt. Dan Haugen said.

Merkel was not injured.

Williams’ vehicle, which carried three passengers, slid into the ditch.

Joshua Schuchardt, 25, of Texas, died shortly after the accident and the HP reports this morning that Derek Moore, 23, Texas, also died yesterday.

Williams and passenger, 20-year-old Michael Lary, both of Texas, were transported to the hospital with injuries.

The truck Williams was driving was totaled and the semi had front-end damage. The accident happened about 8 miles north of Dickinson.

Tags: highway 22, news, travel, local, texas