Authorities have released more information about a fatal accident on Interstate 35 in southern Iowa that went undiscovered for several hours. A DOT crew, sent to inspect an I-35 bridge near Bevington, discovered a truck in a ditch below the bridge at 9 a.m. Monday. A man and woman were found inside the vehicle.
The passenger, 29-year-old Ashley Nehls of West Des Moines, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, 24-year-old Shawn Goodrich of Adel, was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital where he remains in critical condition. An Iowa State Patrol report indicates the crash happened around 2 a.m., roughly seven hours prior to the discovery of the wreckage.
The truck left the roadway for an unknown reason, hit a sign and slammed into the bank of the Middle River, according to the Patrol.