(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – A crash during heavy rain Tuesday night in Guthrie County claimed the life of a man from Coon Rapids. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a car driven by 60-year-old Jerry Hager, of Coon Rapids, was traveling east on Highway 141 at around 9:15-p.m., just east of Oak Avenue ( about a mile west of Bagley), when the vehicle crossed the centerline of the road and side swiped a westbound 2024 Jeep Wrangler driven by 56-year-old Michele Pudenz, of Carroll.

After the initial collision, Hager’s car – a 2009 Chevy Impala – collided head-on in the westbound lane, with a westbound 2018 GMC Terrain driven by 26-year-old Gillian Streit, of Manilla. The Jeep and GMC came to rest in the westbound lane of Highway 141. The car came to rest in the eastbound lane.

The Patrol says Hager, who was not wearing a seatbelt, suffered fatal injuries from the crash and died at the scene. The other drivers and a passenger in the GMC were wearing seatbelts, and were not injured. The crash resulted in the roadway being closed for about four-hours.