Channel 3000
According to the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office, two people died on Monday and Tuesday in separate car accidents during icy road conditions in Iowa County. On Monday, a Dodgeville man died after he lost control of his pickup truck and a young woman passed away after the driver crashed into a snowplow on Tuesday.
Kathryn Dejak, 76, and passenger Kaila Dorau, 27, were only about a mile from their residence when their car hit a slippery patch along Highway C south of Spring Green at approximately 7:30 am Tuesday morning.
After losing control of their vehicle, they crashed into a county snowplow and slid into a nearby ditch. The truck was plowing snow off the road at an angle when it collided with the passenger side of the vehicle. Dorau died at the scene while Dejak was taken to UW Hospital in Madison by helicopter.
Iowa County police say that slick road conditions may have caused the accident and that both passengers were wearing their seatbelts when the crash occurred. The driver of the snowplow was identified as Randall J. Starr, 48, of Lone Rock.
Michael Neta, 58, of Dodgeville, IA lost control of his pickup truck Monday morning after his tires slipped on an icy spot along Highway Z south of Davis Road at approximately 8:00 am. Local authorities say he was transported to a nearby hospital but died shortly after his arrival.
After Neta’s pickup truck slipped on the ice, it crashed through a guardrail causing his vehicle to flip over and land upside down among a forest of dead trees just off the side of the road. According to an Iowa County Police statement, Neta was ejected from the vehicle as a result of not wearing his seatbelt.
Although local authorities state that the icy road conditions were responsible for Neta’s accident, the speed at which the pickup truck was traveling was also a factor. Immedaitely following the accident, the Iowa County Sherriff’s Office issued a public warning on its Facebook page to all travelers to “use caution in this area.”
