No serious injuries after car hits patrol vehicle responding to separate crash in Jasper County

Slick road conditions caused a vehicle to lose control and crash head on into a sheriff deputy’s patrol car that was responding to another accident on March 31 along Highway F17 in southeast Jasper County, authorities say. The deputy, the driver and the individual in the previous accident were not seriously injured.

Deputy Brandon Bruxvoort was traveling eastbound on the highway just east of Baxter to respond to the initial motor vehicle accident on Thursday morning. An incoming car traveling westbound was affected by the slippery road conditions and struck the patrol unit with the deputy inside, sending both cars into the ditch.

Both the deputy and the other driver were treated at the scene and released, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office reported in a press release. Baxter Fire/EMS provided assistance with the accident, and the Iowa State Patrol conducted the investigation. Other sheriff’s deputies handled the initial accident.

The county accumulated a light layer of snow overnight, which made some roadways very slick. Halferty said the head-on crash occurred at 5:56 a.m.

Jasper County Sheriff’s Office posted a picture of Bruxvoort’s vehicle, which appears to have sustained damage to its driver’s side fender and headlights. From what Halferty could assess, both vehicles were totaled. It was very fortunate, Halferty said, that no one was seriously hurt.

Less than an hour after Bruxvoort’s car was hit, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office posted a graphic saying nearly 75 percent of crashes in Iowa happened in less than two inches of snow. In a statement included in the press release about the crash, sheriff John Halferty emphasized that message.

“We are thankful that both drivers were not seriously hurt,” Halferty said in the press release. “We would like to remind drivers to always use caution and drive safely during inclement weather.”

Halferty later told Newton News it is his experience there are more car accidents when there is less snow on the ground, as opposed to a major blizzard.

“It’s these weather events when we have one or two inches or maybe a rain-snow-slush mix where the road conditions can be deceiving at times, especially with the slush-snow mix,” he said. “Sometimes that will just grab ahold of your car and cause you to go sideways or cause you to go off the side of the road.”

Halferty encouraged residents to be more aware of road conditions and pay attention to any weather any information released by media sources. When they travel and see the roadways are wet or see more slush or snow on the road, he said drivers need to reduce speed and allow longer distances between cars.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com