Wintry weather has had a hand in three people dying over the weekend in north-central Iowa. A 43-year-old Mason City man is dead after the snowmobile he was on ran into a wastewater lift station Saturday night. Mason City police say Matthew Newton Ward was driving the snowmobile when he crashed into the lift station on 15th Street Southwest and South Pierce. Ward was taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 10 PM. A 73-year-old Mason City man was found dead in his yard early Sunday morning. Paul Edward Fitzgerald was found dead in his yard shortly before 4:00 AM yesterday by a Mason City police officer who was responding to an unrelated call. A preliminary medical examiner’s report says Fitzgerald’s death was likely caused to exposure. Foul play is not suspected, but the case remains under investigation by Mason City police. A 26-year-old Clear Lake woman is dead after a one-vehicle accident on the Avenue of the Saints late Sunday afternoon. Allison King died after the car she was driving left U.S. Highway 18 and struck guardrails in the median near the U.S. Highway 65 exit. Three passengers in the vehicle…27-year-old Robert King, 3-year-old Alexis King, and six-month old Candence King, were all treated and released at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the accident.
