Man identified in fatal I-80 accident

Authorities have identified the man hit and killed on Interstate-80 early this morning as a Newton man who was celebrating his 38th birthday last night. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department says Brian Winchell was apparently hit by a westbound semi about four miles west of Newton. At 2-11 A.M. authorities started receiving calls about a man trying to flag down motorists on the westbound side of the interstate, around mile marker 160. Jasper County Sheriff Michael Balmer says they still don’t know why WInchell was along the interstate without a car. The semi they think hit him was spotted just west of Des Moines a couple hours later by Dallas County deputies, at the Waukee rest area about 40 miles west of the accident site. The driver, who’s from Omaha, was brought back to Newton for questioning and the sheriff says charges are pending as the investigation continues. The sheriff says Winchell was likely hit by other vehicles after the initial accident, which shut down the westbound lanes of the interstate till about five this morning.