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Three injured, 2 seriously, on I-80’s westbound lanes
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · April 24, 2024
Three people suffered injuries Monday morning when three vehicles crashed on Interstate 80, sending one down a 30-foot-high embankment.
Iowa State Patrol has yet to complete the full crash report, but Lt. Brian Votroubek said a rear-end collision led to the chain-reaction crash about 9:30 a.m. Monday.
The crash occurred about a quarter-mile east of West Branch’s Exit 254 in the westbound lanes.
He said the interstate’s ongoing construction work hindered getting emergency vehicles to the scene.
West Branch Fire Department, Johnson County Ambulance Service, West Liberty Fire Department, West Liberty Ambulance, Cedar County Sheriff, and Iowa State Patrol responded to the crash.
West Branch Fire Chief Kevin Stoolman said the crash blocked both lanes of the westbound traffic and jersey barriers blocked emergency vehicles from crossing to the north side. So, emergency personnel drove against the flow of traffic by using the eastbound off-ramp to get to the crash.
First responders sent three people to the hospital for treatment. Stoolman said at least two received “serious” injuries, but none appeared life-threatening.
The vehicle that drove down the embankment ended up stuck in mud and water, and emergency personnel were “halfway up to our knees” in it, the chief said.
C.J. Moyna & Sons, the general contractor widening I-80 in that area, provided a piece of plywood to lay across the mud to help get paramedics to the car to extract the driver on a backboard.
Stoolman said road workers are good about helping first responders on crash sites, and Moyna employees “were there before we got there and they were helping, too, doing whatever we asked.”
West Liberty Ambulance and West Liberty Fire trucks had to drive into West Branch’s southeast neighborhood to take South Maple Street to an access road to reach the bottom of the embankment. Even then, personnel had to walk into a corn field about a hundred yards to reach the car.
No Moyna workers were injured in the crash, the chief said.
Stoolman said West Branch first responders remained on the scene for about an hour and wreckers were still there removing the three crashed cars when they left.
Teo’s Towing sent multiple trucks to remove the cars and clean up a trail of debris left on the hill next to the interstate.
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