Late Saturday evening, a heartbreaking crash near Manson claimed two lives and injured four others after a van crossed the centerline and struck a pickup head-on. What makes the tragedy all the more harrowing: three passengers in the van weren’t even seated in proper car seats—they were perched on patio furniture.
Just before 10 p.m. in Calhoun County, authorities say a 2012 Chevrolet Express van traveling westbound on Iowa Highway 7 veered into the eastbound lane and collided with a 2020 Chevy Silverado pickup. Both vehicles were forced off the road. The van rolled onto its side in a ditch, while the pickup struck a utility pole and finally came to rest in a nearby field.
Inside the van, the scene was horrifying. Three people were riding unsecured on patio furniture that had been purchased earlier that day. They were not wearing seatbelts. Investigators say that meant they had virtually no protection when impact struck.
The two people who died were later identified as 26-year-old Alondra Bravo and 34-year-old Jorge Perez Hechavarria. Both were from Storm Lake.
Among the injured: an 8-year-old child (Luis Bravo), 46-year-olds Marina Escalante and Wilfredo Quevedo Mesa, all from Storm Lake; plus 21-year-old Conner Darr of Manson, who was driving the pickup. One of the injured, Escalante, was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital; the others were carried to area medical centers by ambulance.
First responders from multiple agencies rushed to the site. Their priorities: secure the scene, stabilize the wounded, and restore access. Utility crews too were deployed to investigate and repair damage after the pickup collided with a utility pole.
The Iowa State Patrol is actively investigating what led the van to cross the centerline. Possible contributing factors under review include impairment, driver distraction, mechanical issues, or perhaps road conditions. Authorities are also warning of the extreme danger posed by riding unrestrained—particularly under such reckless circumstances.
In one tragic night, two families were torn apart, and several lives upended. As the injured begin their long road to recovery, the community remains shaken—and the devastating lesson is painfully clear: in a crash, unsecured passengers are nearly defenseless.