A 29-year-old Knoxville man is dead after the truck he was driving vaulted a drainage ditch and flipped south of Pella late Saturday night, throwing him from the vehicle before it came to rest. Alex Eugene Killoren was taken to a nearby hospital but did not survive his injuries, according to investigators.
The crash happened just before midnight on Highway T-17 east of 216th Place, according to WHO13. Killoren was driving a 2012 Chevy Silverado westbound near 216th Place when he failed to negotiate a curve, per the Iowa State Patrol, as reported by KNIA-KRLS. The truck left the roadway and entered a ditch before vaulting over a drainage culvert and flipping at least once.
Ejected Before Help Could Arrive
Killoren was ejected from the truck during the crash, the station's report states. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time, according to the Iowa State Patrol's account relayed by WHO13.
Pella EMS transported Killoren to Pella Regional Hospital, where he died from his injuries, per the same account. KNIA-KRLS reports that Pella Community Ambulance personnel provided lifesaving efforts, and Killoren was pronounced dead at Pella Regional Health Center.
Multiple Agencies Responded
The Iowa State Patrol received assistance at the scene from the Marion County Sheriff's Office and the Pella Rural Fire Department, according to KNIA-KRLS, whose report on the crash was authored by Andrew Schneider. The crash remains under investigation, and no further details on its cause have been released.
The wreck adds to what has been a difficult stretch on Iowa roadways this year. State transportation officials Iowa DOT reported that 24 people died on Iowa roads in January 2026, seven more than at the same point the previous year.
