(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa man is charged with vehicular homicide and drunk driving after a Waterloo girl died and a teenager was injured in an accident in South Dakota on the 4th of July. South Dakota’s attorney general says 38-year-old Zachary Berger of Indianola is a habitual offender and could face life in prison if convicted. South Dakota’s Department of Public Safety says Berger was driving a Utility Terrain Vehicle north of Pierre when he tried to turn around and rolled the vehicle. He was not injured.
Eight charges have been filed against Berger, including Abuse or Cruelty to a Minor and Failure to Assure a Minor Passenger Wears a Seatbelt, as well as Vehicular Homicide and Second Degree Manslaughter. The Iowa Department of Corrections website shows Berger has felony and serious misdemeanor convictions that date back to 2008 — all convictions out of Black Hawk County.
The Waterloo girl who died in Saturday’s crash was nine years old. The 16-year-old who suffered minor injuries is from Des Moines.
