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Emergency responders were called to the scenes of two separate accidents within ten minutes of each other near Pella this morning. Shortly before 10:15, Marion County Sheriff’s Deputies, Pella Ambulance and Pella Fire Department responded to garbage truck that had left the roadway and rolled down a steep embankment near the intersection of T-15 and Idaho Drive, south of Bos Landen. The driver of the truck, Justin Franklin of Melcher-Dallas, was transported to Pella Regional Hospital where he was treated and released. According to an investigation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin failed to negotiate a turn and rolled the truck into the ditch. He is being charged with failure to maintain control of a vehicle. The truck, which belonged to Midwest Sanitation, was listed as a total loss.

Shortly after the first call, Pella Ambulance, Pella Fire Department and Pella Police responded to a motorcycle accident on Highway 163 near mile marker 40, south of Pella. Charles Steffenmeier of Burlington was traveling westbound, when he collided with the rear-end of a vehicle driven by Cora DeCook of Pella, which had performed a U-turn through a median crossing. Steffenmeier, who was wearing a helmet, was transported to Pella Regional Health Center with non-life threatening injuries. DeCook was charged by Pella Police with failure to yield.
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