Semi Breaks Axle, Spills Corn, Causes 2nd Vehicle to Crash

Authorities were kept busy early this morning (Friday, Feb. 16) with one traffic mishap that caused a second accident, which put an eastern Iowa woman in the hospital.

Shortly after 2:30am, the Linn County Sheriff was alerted of an accident on Highway 30, west of Mt. Vernon, involving a semi loaded with corn. The driver, 65 year old Michael Wolfe of Manchester, lost control of his rig when the front axle broke.

This sent the semi onto it's side in the median, spilling corn across the eastbound lanes of the highway. Wolfe was not injured.

Another vehicle, driven by 20 year old Nicole Crane of Springville, went out of control when she drove it through the corn that was covering the highway from the first accident.

Crane's vehicle spun out, went into the ditch, and struck a tree. Crane was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids, to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

No one was charged in either accident.