Three Iowans were killed in three separate traffic accidents this weekend. On Friday night, Des Moines police say a man was struck by a car while riding a horse. The initial collision threw 26-year-old Dennis Kaiser of Des Moines into another lane of traffic, where he was hit by a second vehicle. Kaiser died from his injuries on Sunday.
The horse was euthanized after it was hit by yet another vehicle. Police say two of three motorists involved fled the scene. No one has been arrested in the case.
A Washington, Iowa man was killed on Saturday when two back wheels flew off a semi-truck as it drove down Interstate 35-80 in Urbandale. The wheels bounced across the median and through the windshield of an oncoming pickup, killing the driver, 61-year-old Gerald Statler. Statler’s son, 31-year-old Brandon Statler was seriously injured. The driver of the semi, James Faust of Arizona, wasn’t hurt.
A one vehicle crash in Tama County claimed the life of a Toledo man. The accident on Highway V-18 south of Chelsea happened Sunday morning. The State Patrol reports 27-year-old Brandon Anderson’s truck went out of control, rolled off the road and hit a tree.