(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – A man from Nebraska died in a crash early this (Monday) morning, in Guthrie County. According to the sheriff’s office, Guthrie County dispatch received a 911 call at around 2:50-a.m. from a man who saw a vehicle in a field near Frontier Road, just north of White Pole Road. The caller said the vehicle’s airbags deployed, but he could not find anyone around the vehicle. Adair Fire and Rescue responded to the scene a short time later. When a deputy arrived on the scene at around 3:20-a.m., he was informed a person (presumably from the vehicle) was found deceased about 30-feet from the vehicle. The deceased was identified as 41-year-old Ross M. Ingalise, of Omaha. The man had been ejected from the vehicle, a KIA Optima. He was not wearing a seat belt.

An investigation determined the KIA was traveling north on White Pole Road when it left the roadway on a curve. The car entered a ditch and continued north through the ditch until it struck an embankment along the side of Frontier Road. The impact with the embankment caused the vehicle to go airborne for several yards before it struck the top half of a telephone pole, causing the pole to snap in-half. The vehicle continued airborne for several more yards until it landed in a fence row for a pasture.

The car continued through the fence at some point, ejecting Mr. Ingalise as the vehicle turned back to the southeast. His body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny. The crash remains under investigation. Damage to the Guthrie County REC telephone pole was estimated at $1,500. The car was a total loss.