• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Fires/Accidents/Disasters / Friend of truck driver says blocked sign may’ve led to accident that killed 4 teens

Friend of truck driver says blocked sign may’ve led to accident that killed 4 teens

August 6, 2014 By Radio Iowa Contributor

A family friend of the truck driver who ran a stop sign, killing four Dubuque County teenagers, is asking people to look at the situation from the driver’s perspective. Suzette Smith told KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids that the back of a “no passing zone” sign blocks a driver’s view of the stop sign for several seconds.

“We really want people to know he wasn’t a young kid, just out on a Saturday afternoon who ran a stop sign. I think there is a side to it that maybe he didn’t have enough time to stop at the stop sign,” Smith said. The crash happened on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. near Epworth. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department reports 24-year-old Joe Connelly ran a stop sign at the rural intersection and his pickup crashed into a utility vehicle carrying four 14-year-old boys; Mitchell Kluesner, Bryce Wilwert, Nicholas Kramer and Sean Kenneally. All four died.

KCRG-TV’s Katie Wiedemann went to the area to check out Smith’s claims. She noticed there’s a yellow “stop ahead” sign about 400 feet from the intersection and the red “stop” sign can been seen for the first time about 300 feet away. “But as a driver gets closer, that stop sign eclipses with the back of a “no passing zone’ sign. For about three seconds, the driver cannot see the stop sign,” Wiedemann said. “The stop sign comes back into view when the driver is about 100 feet from the intersection.”

Smith said she understands there was a visible “stop ahead” sign and Connelly did run the stop sign, so she understands Connelly will likely face charges. As for those charges, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s officials will only say they’re still investigating and won’t speculate when charges could be filed.

 KCRG’s complete story.

 

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

New look and new format at girls’ state basketball

Youngstown State takes action against assistant football coach

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

Drake’s Roman Penn lost for the season

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC