Red Oak man injured in a collision w/two other vehicles Sunday morning; Separate accident Sunday night – no injuries reported
July 15th, 2024 by Ric Hanson
(Red Oak, Iowa) A Montgomery County man suffered minor injuries during a collision that was the result of distracted driving, Sunday morning, in Red Oak. According to the Red Oak Police Department, 35-year-old Cory Phelan Porter, of Red Oak, was driving a 2006 Dodge Dakota pickup truck westbound in the 500 block of E. Washington Avenue at around 9:30-a.m., Sunday, when he lost the lens out of his glasses. When Porter reached down to pick it up, his pickup veered across the center line of the road and into the opposite lane.
When he looked up, he tried to stop, but was unable to do so in-time before his pickup struck the front of a legally parked 2013 Ford pickup. The impact pushed the parked pickup into a legally parked 2013 Chevy Equinox SUV. Porter suffered an abrasion on his head and knees, but refused rescue. He was cited for Driving in an improper lane/wrong direction.
Damage from the accident amounted to $12,100, according to the police report.
An accident late Sunday evening, caused $18,000 damage, but no one was injured. Red Oak Police report a 2015 Jeep Wrangler owned by Charles & Roxanna Fink, and driven by 22-year-old Savannah Jo Fink, of Red Oak, was traveling west on Highway 34 in a 50 mph construction zone. A 2017 Dodge Charger owned by Mid-Plains Truck and Auto, and driven by 55-year-old James T. Vukonich, of Fremont, NE, was traveling east on Highway 34 in the same construction zone. As the Jeep was approaching the intersection of 8th Street and Highway 34, a 2021 Ford Escape SUV owned by Thomas & Lois Pratt, and driven by 79-year-old Thomas Keith Pratt, of Red Oak, was stopped at the stop sign facing south on 8th Street. Pratt failed to yield the right-of-way before his vehicle pulled out in front of the Jeep and was struck by the SUV.
The impact caused the Escape to crash into the barrels of sand in the construction lane, which caused additional damage to the Ford. The Jeep was bumped-off of the Ford and struck the Dodge Charger that was in the oncoming lane, sideswiping the left side of the car. The Jeep was left undrivable, and stuck in the middle of the westbound lane. The other two vehicles were driven away by their respective drivers.
There were no citations issued.