YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY — The Yellow Medicine County Attorney’s Office will not be filing criminal charges for a fatal fire truck crash that happened in September.

On Thursday, Yellow Medicine County Attorney Mark Gruenes said that after reviewing all the evidence in the case, he had decided not to file charges against Andrew Vanhecke, of Wood Lake.

“The evidence shows that Mr. Vanhecke took his eyes off the road momentarily, causing the fire truck to drift onto the shoulder of the roadway, and he unfortunately overcorrected which–given the water weight–caused the truck to lose control,” Gruenes said in an email to the Independent. “While we should all strive to maintain perfect attention while driving, experience informs us that everyone at times can find themselves momentarily distracted.”

The crash happened as Vanhecke was driving a Wood Lake fire truck back from homecoming festivities at Lakeview School on Sept. 26. Both Andrew Vanhecke and six-year-old Beaux Vanhecke were injured in the crash. Patrick Remiger, 43, of rural Wood Lake, was killed in the crash.

Both the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol investigated the crash.