A 41-year-old McCallsburg woman died and a 15-year-old driver suffered life-threatening injuries Friday afternoon when two vehicles collided head-on at the intersection of Eastman Avenue and 190th Street outside State Center, according to the Iowa State Patrol. The crash happened around 4:07 p.m. and involved a 2013 Kia Sorento and a 2018 Kia Optima.
The woman killed in the crash was identified as Lindsey Richelle Daleske, according to Western Iowa Today. Troopers said the Sorento was being driven by a 15-year-old who was headed southbound on Eastman Avenue north of State Center when the teen attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone, according to a crash report cited by The Des Moines Register. The Sorento then struck the Optima head-on in the northbound lane near 190th Street, the report states.
Conflicting Reports on Where Daleske Died
Accounts of the crash differ on where Daleske was pronounced dead. WHO 13 reported that the 41-year-old McCallsburg woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the same station's report on the collision notes the vehicles were traveling in a no-passing zone when the crash occurred. Western Iowa Today, however, reported that Daleske was pronounced deceased at an area hospital rather than at the crash site. Hoodline could not independently confirm which account is accurate.
The teen driving the Sorento sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to an area hospital, the station's report notes. The teen's identity has not been released, and it remains unclear whether any citation or other legal action followed the crash.
A Broader Pattern in Teen-Driver Crashes
A historical analysis from the Iowa Department of Transportation found that teen drivers contributed to fatal crashes at a rate of 74%, with teen-driver contribution unknown in 11% of the crashes studied, according to a report published on publications.iowa.gov. The same analysis found that speed was a factor in about 25% of crashes where a teen driver was found at fault, and alcohol or drug impairment was a factor in roughly the same share.
The crash remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol. No further details about the cause of the collision or any potential charges have been released.
