KIDDER COUNTY, N.D. — The North Dakota Highway Patrol has identified the victims of a fatal three-vehicle crash that occurred on Friday evening, July 25, 2025, on Highway 3 near mile marker 126 in rural Kidder County, approximately 10 miles southwest of Steele.
The incident began around 8:00 p.m. when a 2008 Pontiac G6, driven by 36-year-old Matthew Yunker of Hensler, North Dakota, was traveling southbound in the northbound lane of Highway 3. The Pontiac sideswiped a northbound Chevrolet Equinox driven by 47-year-old Derek Jackson of Harvey, North Dakota. The collision caused the Pontiac to become airborne, subsequently crashing into a northbound 2010 Dodge Challenger driven by 61-year-old Milton Jeffries of Eagle Butte, South Dakota.
Both Yunker and Milton Jeffries were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from their vehicles during the crash. They were pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the Dodge Challenger, 62-year-old Mahlon Jeffries, also from Eagle Butte, was wearing a seatbelt and sustained serious injuries. He was transported by ground and air ambulance to a hospital for treatment. Derek Jackson, the driver of the Chevrolet Equinox, was wearing a seatbelt and escaped injury.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol, along with the Kidder County Sheriff’s Office, Steele Police Department, McLean County Sheriff’s Office, Bowdon Ambulance, Steele Ambulance, Kidder County EMS, and Wing Ambulance, responded to the scene. The crash remains under investigation to determine why the Pontiac was traveling in the wrong lane. This tragic event highlights the critical importance of wearing seatbelts and adhering to safe driving practices on rural highways.