(Dallas County, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol reports a crash between a car and a box truck this (Thursday) morning near Perry, claimed the lives of two juveniles and resulted in critical injuries to a third juvenile. The three are all siblings, from Jamaica (IA). KCCI reports Daisy and Walter Fuentes Gavidia died in the crash. Their sister, Edlyn is in the intensive care unit. The Perry School District, where the teenagers were students, is offering counseling services at the high school from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday. The family’s pastor has started a fundraiser to support the family.

The Patrol says a 2007 Toyota Camry driven by one of the juveniles was westbound on Highway 141, west of the intersection of Diagonal Road, at around 7:45-a.m.  Authorities say there was heavy snowfall and a 100% covered road.

The car went out of control, spun and entered the westbound lane. A westbound 2020 Volvo box truck driven by 56-year-old Orris McKay, of Carthage, IL., was traveling westbound. McKay steered right and braked, in an attempt to avoid the collision, but was unsuccessful. The truck hit the car on the passenger side.

Multiple agencies assisted at the scene. There have been 47 fatal crashes on Iowa roadways so far in 2023. That’s six more than at this point in 2022, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. In total, 338 people died in crashes in Iowa last year.