Authorities in Iowa and two neighboring states are still sorting out the details of a violent, deadly crash that shut down Interstate-29 in northwest Missouri on Sunday. It all began as a pursuit by Nebraska law enforcement.
Three people died, three suffered serious injuries, and a one-year-old escaped serious injury after the driver fleeing police hit a bridge abutment and the car caught fire.
The Fremont County, Iowa Sheriff’s Department says a woman hospitalized in Hamburg reported she and her one-year-old were kidnapped by a 29-year-old acquaintance, who dropped her off at the hospital, but fled with the child.
Iowa State Highway Patrol troopers pursued the vehicle as it drove south on I-29 in the northbound lanes.
When the car entered Missouri, it collided with a northbound car attempting to pass a truck. The pursued car hit the bridge and caught fire. The other vehicle veered off the road, overturned, ejected a passenger, and came to rest on its top.
A veteran Iowa deputy rescued the one -year-old from the burning car. The baby was taken to the hospital to be treated for moderate injuries.
Two 18-year-olds from Kearney died in the crash. Another person was flown to Omaha to be treated for serious injuries.
(By Brent Martin, KFEQ, St. Joseph, MO)