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Northwestern Iowa man charged in crash death of cousin

News

August 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northwestern Iowa man has been charged with vehicular homicide and drunken driving in a crash last month that killed his cousin. The Sioux City Journal reports that 37-year-old Darrick Toel, of Le Mars, was arrested late Tuesday on the charges. He’s being held on a $50,000 bond.

Investigators say Toel was driving about 90 mph the night of July 1 when he lost control of his car, left the road, rolled and hit a tree. His passenger, 37-year-old Ryan Toel, of Struble, was critically injured and died two days later.

Police say Darrick Toel also was injured, and a blood test taken at a hospital more than an hour after the crash showed his blood alcohol content was .111 — more than the .08 legal limit to drive.