One trapped, four injured in multi-vehicle pileup at First and Hwy 141

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Emergency responders work to free a passenger trapped in a minivan at the intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and First Avenue in Perry Thursday afternoon.

A four-vehicle pileup at the intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and First Avenue in Perry Thursday afternoon led to the transport of four people to the Dallas County Hospital.
A four-vehicle pileup at the intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and First Avenue in Perry Thursday afternoon led to the transport of four people to the Dallas County Hospital.

A four-vehicle accident on Iowa Highway 141 at First Avenue in Perry about 2:30 p.m. Thursday led to emergency calls for extra ambulances when as many as five injuries were reported.

Details are still sketchy at this hour, but the collision involved at least one semi-tractor trailer and a passenger minivan.

Officers of the Perry Police Department and members of Perry First Responders, Perry Volunteer Fire Department and Dallas County EMS were soon on scene.

Emergency workers took steps to free at least one person who appeared to be trapped in the minivan. The number and extent of injuries are unknown at this hour.

A Dallas County EMS ambulance transported four people to Dallas County Hospital shortly after 3 p.m. in what Dallas County EMS called a “non-emergent transport.”

The Iowa State Patrol was en route at last report. The cause of the pileup is under investigation.

ThePerryNews.com will update this story as information becomes available.

A semi-tractor trailer was involved in a four-vehicle pileup at the intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and First Avenue in Perry Thursday afternoon. Four people were transported to the Dallas County Hospital.
A semi-tractor trailer was involved in a four-vehicle pileup at the intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and First Avenue in Perry Thursday afternoon. Four people were transported to the Dallas County Hospital.

14 COMMENTS

  1. The speed limit in that area is in excess and should be reduced from the east end of 141 to west end past the business section. We also have a bicycle path crossing in that area.

    • And also the need to put up a countdown digital display so semis can have advanced warning of light changing. Those lights change fast, and it is hard to get stopped sometimes, as I know because I am also a truck driver.

      • In Canada green lights start blinking to let you know they’ll be changing to yellow soon. I saw that once and thought it was a good idea.

  2. Once again ThePerryNews.com is all over it with their late-breaking, current local coverage. Good job! Keep up the good work.

  3. Those lights and road strips need inspected anyway. I don’t think they have even been maintenanced in the last 20 years. Also, the south end turn lane is quite dangerous how it merges with no indicators to traffic. I realize this did not cause the accident, but this whole area does need revamped.

  4. I know someone who saw this accident happen. He said it wasn’t the semi driver’s fault at all, as the light for the semi had already changed green, and the person driving the van ran the red light.

    • I’m sorry, but that’s not correct. The van was traveling west, the same direction as the semi, and was rear ended by the semi. Running a red light would not have resulted in this type of accident. There were also two other SUVs involved that the van was pushed into.

  5. Why is it people are always so quick to make it the semi-truck driver’s fault? We drive a larger pick-up with a 4-horse trailer, and people are always pulling out in front of us as we go through intersection or driving down the road. They either aren’t paying attention or apparently think we can stop on a dime because the 10 seconds it takes for us to get through an intersection is too long for them to wait. If people would just slow down and respect other drivers, no matter the size of their vehicles, many accidents would be avoided.

  6. Also if you are going south on First Avenue, you are going to have to move to the right lane to go on south through the light. It is not well marked, and you can get trapped in the turn lane. Donna is right. The speed limit at 50 is too high.

  7. You should be aware that as a former member of the Perry City Council, I pushed to have the speed limit reduced on this stretch of Highway 141. Finally getting the Iowa DOT to monitor this area, their “result” was that there was not “excessive” speed on this section. Which I objected to at the time. And ironically, if any action was taken by the DOT, it would be to increase the speed limit! So much for local input on our highways.

  8. The bypass was built to keep the traffic from going through town, then everybody built around the bypass, which is counter productive. It is a state highway, so it’s pretty hard to get them to slow down, let alone be ready to stop for two sets of lights. It’s a dangerous combination and one that many towns are guilty of as well.

  9. The speed has absolutely nothing to do with it, and there are signs clearly pointing out that the left lane is strictly for turning left and the middle lane is for straight and the far right by McDonald’s is a right turn lane. People are just too stupid, too oblivious and in too big of a hurry to take notice. The road conditions, lights, signs and speed do not need revamping because of people’s stupidity. Everyone has, well, should have taken the written and driving test before they got their license. They should know the rules of the road. Just because a handfull of idiots ignore the laws does not mean it’s a dangerous intersection. It just means there are ignorant, stupid reckless drivers period! I’m sorry I’ve lived in this town for over 25 years. Our tax money should not go into this corner at all. It should go into all the damn pot holes in this town!

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