Minnesota Pastor and Young Child Killed in Dakota Crash

A Minnesota pastor and his three-year-old son were killed in a freak accident earlier this month in South Dakota.

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, just after 2:00 PM on October 12th, a minivan driven by 31-year-old Stephen Fletcher Clayton, 31, of Monticello, was eastbound on Interstate 90 at mile marker 292 near Kimball when a wheel detached from a trailer being hauled by a westbound pickup truck. The wheel crossed the median and struck the minivan, breaking the windshield and tearing through the roof, killing Clayton and his son, David.

Katie Clayton, Stephen's wife and David's mother, sustained life-threatening injuries. She was airlifted to a hospital in Sioux Falls, where she underwent reconstructive surgery after suffering fractures in her jaw and face. An 11-month-old passenger sustained minor injuries.

The Clatytons were returning home from visiting family in Spearfish.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family.

Stephen Clayton joined Becker Evangelical Free Church in 2024, after graduating from Bethlehem Seminary in Minneapolis.

Funeral services are set for Friday (October 23rd) at The North Church in Mounds View, Minnesota.