Rapid City police still haven’t released the name of the driver who was killed when his vehicle hit a house at high speed about 4:14 Friday morning and severed a natural gas line, triggering an explosion and fire that destroyed the structure.
    The home was owned by a family with strong Chadron ties. Mike Dotson grew up in Chadron and is the son of retired longtime Chadron barber Roger Dotson and the brother of current barber Don Dotson.Â
Mike Dotson was out of town when the accident and explosion occurred, but his wife Susan and their 3 sons Eric, Ethan, and Garrett were home.
They were able to get out, which a Rapid City police lieutenant said he felt was a miracle, but Eric, the oldest son, suffered 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns. Social media reports indicate his injuries are not life-threatening, but will require a lengthy recovery.
The home also housed Susan Dotson’s business, Dot-to-Dot Child Care, but the structure and all its contents were destroyed.
A Gofundme.com fund was started with a goal of $5,000 but as of 10:00 last night had raised nearly $33,000. A Dotson Family Account has been set up at Black Hills Federal Credit Union with Timmon’s Market in Rapid Valley helping with it.
The grocery is asking all its customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar with the difference going into the Dotson fund.
As for the investigation into the crash and its aftermath, Rapid City police are still trying to piece together exactly what happened. They saw a witness reported just before the explosion seeing the vehicle in the neighborhood driving at a high rate of speed.
Natural gas continued to flow for sometime after the accident, shooting flames some 20-to-30 feet into the air. The houses on either side of the Dotson’s received damage from fire, heat, or smoke.
Mike is Rogers’ son and Dons’ brother.