A 42-year-old Des Moines man died Thursday night after being struck by an SUV on Highway 34 in Lucas County, according to a report attributed to the Iowa State Patrol. Walter E. Lauridsen II was pronounced dead at the scene, and no other injuries were reported in the crash.
Lauridsen had parked his Mercedes-Benz on the side of the highway when an eastbound SUV moved into the westbound lane to go around the vehicle, according to the Iowa State Patrol crash report cited by the Des Moines Register. As the SUV passed, Lauridsen entered the westbound lane and was struck, the report says. Accounts differ on the exact time of the crash — the Register reported it occurred at 8:21 p.m., while KCCI placed it at around 8:20 p.m. near 127th Avenue, roughly 10 miles west of Chariton.
As KCRG reported, the crash happened on Highway 34 in south-central Iowa's Lucas County, about a half mile east of 127th Avenue, with the eastbound vehicle traveling east before swerving around Lauridsen's parked car. A spokesperson for gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand's campaign confirmed that Lauridsen was Sand's brother-in-law, per KCCI's reporting.
A Legacy Built on Second Chances
Lauridsen was known beyond his family ties for his work in the nonprofit world. He co-founded Harvest Academy in Indianola, described by the Register as a therapeutic community offering a minimum two-year life-skills program for people seeking a fresh start. The same report notes he received Drake University's Robert D. and Billie Ray Center 2025 Partner of the Year Award after making a catalytic gift that helped fund more than 1,600 Character Counts Resource Kits.
Rob Sand posted on X following news of the crash, writing, “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Walter...”
A Rising Toll on Iowa Roads
The crash adds to a troubling count on Iowa highways this year. KCCI reported that 225 people have died on Iowa roads so far in 2026, including 20 pedestrians — eight more deaths than at the same point in 2025. That increase comes even as the state's Department of Transportation had noted that 2025 closed out with the lowest number of traffic fatalities ever recorded, with early signs in 2026 suggesting the state was on track to sustain that momentum, according to the Iowa DOT.
Highway 34 has seen other serious crashes in recent years. In December 2025, one person was killed and another injured in a wrong-way crash on the highway, according to the Iowa State Patrol as reported by CBS 2 Iowa. In February 2019, three people were killed and five others injured in southeastern Iowa after a semi jackknifed on Highway 34, the Register reported at the time.
The crash that killed Lauridsen remains attributed to the Iowa State Patrol's initial report, which is made available to the public through the state's crash reporting system.
