Curtis Lovette
Curtis Lovette was 78 and used a wheelchair. His adopted daughter, DeAnna Knope, said he loved life and that everyone should be treated humanely. He was held at the South Dakota State Penitentiary and was being transported in a van to dialysis at a Sioux Falls hospital on December 6, 2022, when the van crashed into an overhang. He was hospitalized with a broken neck, and after his family agreed to remove him from life support, he died. The South Dakota Department of Corrections said local police cleared the site, no citations were issued, and the agency assessed the crash; Knope and correctional officers questioned whether the death could have been prevented, citing a removed driver position, a passenger who was not strapped in, and a lack of wheelchair transport training.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (disputed; neglect alleged). The South Dakota Department of Corrections says the site was cleared by local police, no citations were issued and management assessed the crash, while his adopted daughter DeAnna Knope questions whether the death could have been prevented, citing a removed driver position, a passenger who was not strapped in, and lack of wheelchair transport training.
Reported by: DeAnna Knope, his adopted daughter (family or their lawyers); South Dakota Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); correctional officers who spoke to the I-Team (the agency that held him).