It was a night nobody saw coming: last Thursday when two people died after their SUV collided with a semi-truck along Highway 42.
It happened in Lyon County near Larchwood just outside of the Grand Falls Casino Resort.
Charles Rice and his ex-wife Kristin Loudermilk rode in the passenger seat, both killed on impact.
Investigators say they may never know what caused the crash.
Monday night, as many gather in their memory, friends of Charles Rice speak out about the friend and co-worker he was.
"There was no reaction. you don't believe it, you don't want to believe it and I didn't mentally process it for a few hours after that," close friend, and co-worker DJ Steckelberg said.
"Being there was really hard, quite a shock. that was the first time I'd really figured out the reality of what happened," he said.
DJ Steckelberg met Charles Rice about five years ago. As DJ explains, it was right away their friendship took off.
"He's a good, good guy. When you meet him. I don't know how else to put it, right off the bat he was a good guy."
Before Charles died, he worked for 'Driven' - a car service company co-owned by DJ and Craig McCarthy in Sioux Falls.
"When you're hanging out with Charles, it's nonstop laughter, smiling. Just relaxed, good times."
In life, DJ says there's always at least one person who just becomes a part of you. For him, that 'one person' was Charles. For those who didn't have the pleasure meeting or knowing Charles, DJ hopes we will all meet someone just like him in our own lifetime.
We have reached out to family and friends of Kristin Loudermilk, who also died at the scene. They say they are still processing the loss.
We learned Charles and Kristin were previously married and had three children together.
Charles Rice leaves a current wife and little boy behind.
Friends and family of the victims have set up a fund to offset some of the costs. You can contribute to it at any Wells Fargo Bank location, or online. Look for the "Loudermilk and Rice Memorial Fund".
