Des Moines man killed in morning crash

A Des Moines man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning on Highway 330/65 near Mingo.

The Iowa State Patrol said 62-year-old Robert D. Evans was not wearing a seatbelt when his Pontiac van broadsided a semi truck that was attempting to cross Highway 65. Heavy fog and zero visibility were cited as the cause of the crash.

Evans was transported to a Des Moines hospital by ambulance, but the Iowa State Patrol did not specify when he died.

First responders requested the dispatch of a medical helicopter, but the unit was grounded due to the foggy weather conditions. The driver of the semi, 37-year-old Jamie J. West, of Lonetree, was uninjured.

During an on scene interview West said, in his opinion, the driver of the van was traveling too fast for the foggy conditions.

"It was horrible all the way down here. I crept across that intersection with the semi and the traffic," West said. "They saw me. They were slowing down."

According to West, another driver flagged him to cross the intersection when he was struck by the van.

Witnesses said two other vehicles were involved in a second accident while going southbound on Highway 65 shortly after the van/semi collision.

Rescue crews were dispatched to the intersection just after 8:30 a.m. The van was traveling northbound on Highway 65 toward Marshalltown when it collided with semi which was transporting a load of hogs. The semi was reportedly crossing the intersection heading eastbound onto Highway 117 toward Mingo.

Colfax EMS assisted at the scene. Mingo and Baxter first responders were also dispatched to the crash.

Friday's accidents follow increasing attention toward the Highway 330/65 expressway, as the Iowa Department of Transportation prepares to construct a diamond interchange at the site to redirect traffic flow and reduce fatal crashes.