Series of crashes closes I-80

A flash storm brought heavy snow and whiteout conditions to Jasper County on Saturday morning, leading to some accidents, including several accidents that caused the closure of westbound lanes on Interstate 80. Iowa State Patrol Public Information Officer Sergeant Nathan Ludwig said a series of crashes near the Baxter exit at mile marker 159 on I-80 collected about 20 vehicles total Saturday morning.

No fatalities were reported in the string of crashes, although several injuries were reported during the incident. The westbound lanes of the interstate were closed for approximately two and half hours, with officials from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office reporting all travel lanes had been reopened by 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Ludwig said the accidents happened because motorists were driving too fast for the conditions.

“I think what people do is they get on the interstate and they kind of get into an autopilot mode and they don’t drive as defensively as they should, they don’t look far enough ahead down the road, people forget what it’s like to stop in winter driving conditions,” Ludwig said.

On Saturday the National Weather Service warned motorists about dangerous driving conditions even as snow showers began to taper off and move eastward across the state. In a message posted on Twitter the NWS encouraged drivers to “take it SLOW” as they traveled across the state.

Ludwig encouraged motorists to slow down and give themselves extra time to stop during severe weather events, something he says will help prevent crashes on the interstate. State police were also called to assist a 70 car pileup on Interstate Highway 35, near Huxley. Police reported several injuries, but none  were life threatening.

“The bottom line is that all the accidents that happened Saturday is because people are traveling too fast for the conditions and too close to the car in front on them,” Ludwig said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com