POWESHIEK COUNTY – Two fatal car accidents took place within 30 minutes of each other yesterday morning in Poweshiek County.

According to traffic records, at around 7:16am, a semi truck with an oversized load driven by 76-year-old Gerald Allen Mayfield of Onalaska, Texas, blew out one of its trailer tires, causing Mayfield to park the vehicle on the shoulder of I-80 eastbound. The pilot vehicle, a Ford F-350 driven by Brenton Fregia of Troutman, North Carolina, parked directly behind it.

It was then that a semi truck driven by 66-year-old Larry Comstock of Stronghurst, Illinois struck the rear end of the pilot vehicle and the other semi. During the collision, Fregia was outside attending to the flat tire of the semi truck. He sustained fatal injuries in the accident.

Another injury was reported in the accident to 48-year-old Christina Marie Leeth of Onalaska, Texas. She was transported to Unity Point Grinnell for treatment.

Traffic records show that another accident occurred less than 30 minutes later, at around 7:40am, on Highway V18 north of 460th Avenue. A Pontiac Bonneville driven by 70-year-old James John Jacobi of Belle Plaine was traveling southbound while a Hyundai Sonata driven by 37-year-old Joshua Allen Klein of Brooklyn, Iowa, was going northbound. At one point, the Sonata crossed the center line into the southbound lane, causing Jacobi to attempt to maneuver onto the shoulder; however, the Sonata continued towards the Bonneville and the two vehicles collided with their front drivers’ sides. Both vehicles came to rest in the west ditch.

The collision resulted in fatal injuries to Jacobi. He was transported to Holland Coble Funeral Home by the Montezuma Ambulance. No other injuries were reported in the accident.