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2 accidents in western IA claim 2 lives

News

August 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Two separate accidents Thursday in western Iowa claimed the lives of two  people. The Iowa State Patrol reports an accident in a construction zone on Interstate 80 in Cass County Thursday afternoon resulted in the death of a motorcyclist from Pennsylvania. 39-year old Andrew Joseph Engle, of Pittsburgh died at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic from injuries he suffered when he was struck by a tire that flew off of a trailer.

The accident happened 40-year old Scott Edward Farmer, of Cheyenne, WY, was driving a Ford F-350 pickup that was pulling the trailer westbound. When the tire broke free of the trailer, it bounced into the eastbound lane of I-80 and struck Engle in the upper body and head area, as he was driving a 2001 Harley Davidson. The accident happened as traffic was in a head-to-head pattern on I-80 on a bridge over Indian Creek, about a half-mile west of the exit to Marne (Exit 51), at around 4:20-p.m.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by personnel with the Atlantic Fire and Rescue Dept., Marne 1st Responders, Iowa Dept. of Motor Vehicle Enforcement, and Iowa DNR and Medivac Ambulance.

The second accident happened at around 8:10-p.m. on Highway 30, in Harrison County. The Patrol says a 2003 Chevy Tahoe driven by 19-year old Connor James Hemer, of Odebolt, was traveling east on  at around 8:10-p.m., when the vehicle crossed the center line of the road and collided with a westbound 2007 Dodge Nitro, driven by 45-year old Jody Lynn Hustak, of Logan.

Following the crash, the car came to rest in the north ditch. Hustak, who was wearing her seat belt, died at the scene. Hemer, who was also wearing his seat belt, was freed from his vehicle by mechanical means and flown from the scene by LifeNet helicopter to Creighton University Medical Center, in Omaha. A report on his condition was not available early Friday morning. The accident remains under investigation.

Assisting the Iowa State Patrol as the scene, were deputies with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Dept., Personnel from the Logan Police Dept. & Logan Fire and Rescue, Logan Ambulance and the Harrison County Medical Examiner.