A northwest Iowa woman suffered serious injuries during a crash between a motorcycle and a semi Sunday afternoon, in Adair County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2007 Volvo semi driven by 40-year old Larry D. Fry, of Fredericktown, Ohio, was traveling east on Interstate 80 in the slow lane just east of the Highway 25 exit, and was unable to merge into the left lane.

A 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle, driven by 44-year old Deborah Lynn Dirks, of Gilmore City, was merging from the ramp onto I-80 eastbound and collided with the side of the semi. The impact caused Dirks to lose control of the cycle, which came to rest in the south ditch.  The accident happened at around 4:15-p.m.

Dirks was flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. According to her friends, doctors were forced to amputate one of her legs below the knee. She also suffered lacerations, broken bones, and a collapsed lung, but was expected to survive from her injuries.

Friends say the woman was riding with the “Freedom Riders” motorcycle club when the accident, which remains under investigation, took place.