(Ankeny, Iowa) – A car traveling in the wrong direction on Interstate 35 Thursday evening, resulted in a crash that claimed the life of a man from Minnesota, and resulted in a central Iowa man being injured. The crash happened in the southbound lanes of I-35 near mile-marker 88, at around 5-p.m., Thursday.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, 39-year-old Waulter Vasquez-Benitez, of Des Moines, was traveling south on the Interstate, when he saw a 2011 Chevy Impala driven by 91-year-old Paul J. Jacques, of Burnsville, MN, approaching in the wrong direction. When Benitez took evasive action to avoid a head-on collision, his 2008 Saturn Vue struck the concrete barrier.

A 2022 Toyota SUV driven by 78-year-old Hubert A. Morris of Ankeny, collided with the Impala, and went airborne and was struck by a 2004 Toyota SUV driven by 54-year-old Timothy E. Robinson, of West Des Moines. Both SUV’s came together and struck the concrete barrier before coming to rest.

Paul Jacques died from his injuries at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Hubert Morris was injured, and transported to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts. No other injuries were reported. The crash remains under investigation. Traffic on the interstate was at a standstill for about three-hours, following the collision.