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New video about fatal crash aims to discourage distracted driving

News

February 3rd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A new video being released by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau features the family of two Iowans who were killed seven years ago by a distracted driver in a Webster County crash. The wreck in May of 2015 took the lives of 56-year-old David Castenson of Harcourt and his mother, 85-year-old Velma Castenson of Dayton. State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla says the video is important for all motorists to watch.

The video is filled with emotion and shows the far-reaching impact that can result from a single, dangerous mistake.

In 2017, the driver of the vehicle that killed the two was sentenced to probation after being convicted of vehicular homicide. Dinkla says it was the first case of its kind to be prosecuted in Iowa for distracted driving with a cell phone.

In the video, Kristi Castenson, David’s widow, says her husband was very special to the lives of their children.

The video is posted on YouTube and on the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Facebook page.