IMAG1413

The passenger in a car traveling east on Highway 163 died as a result of injuries suffered in a two-vehicle crash Monday afternoon.
The Iowa State Patrol confirmed in their official report 23-year-old Amanda Simms of Cedar, Iowa, was killed when the car she was riding in — driven by Cody Kline, also of Cedar, made impact with the back of a commercial truck as the larger vehicle was accelerating after turning onto the road in the left lane heading east on Highway 163 near Bayard Avenue. Witnesses told the Iowa State Patrol Kline’s car was moving frequently between lanes of traffic prior to colliding with the commercial truck, and officers believe excess speed was factor. Simms was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact, the report says.
A state medical examiner declared Simms dead at the scene. Kline, the driver of the Saturn, was transported to Pella Regional Health Center with non-life threatening injuries, and the Iowa State Patrol says he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact, which likely saved his life. William Stone, the operator of the commercial vehicle, was unharmed. Delays were reported for over two hours as crews worked to clear the road.
Pella Rural Fire, Pella Ambulance, Pella Police, and the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the site of the crash, which happened at approximately 4:10 p.m. The crash remains under investigation.