Two drivers seriously injured in separate accidents
Humboldt County Sheriff's Deputy Kenny Vorland (right) visits with an accident victim following a two-car collision west of Humboldt Wednesday morning, Jan. 12. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
Humboldt County emergency personnel load an injured driver, Malea Brown of Pocahontas, into the Humboldt Ambulance late Wednesday morning following a two-vehicle personal injury accident west of Humboldt on 230th Street. Brown was taken to Humboldt County Memorial Hospital and then sent by Life Flight to another hospital. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
Two drivers sustained serious/incapacitating injuries following separate accidents that occurred in the county on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
An unusual single-vehicle accident on Tuesday night, Jan. 11, resulted in serious injuries to a Dakota City man.
The accident occurred off of Wildcat Road in the Humboldt Middle School parking lot.
According to the report, a 2022 GMC Sierra K-1500 pickup driven by Eugene R. Hohensee, 76, of Dakota City, was traveling westbound on Wildcat Road, just west of Highway 169. Just beyond the intersection the vehicle veered south and entered oncoming traffic. The pickup continued on the wrong side of the road and then entered the ditch on the south side of Wildcat Road. The pickup drove across the sidewalk on the walking trail north of the Humboldt Middle School, missing two trees and a light pole. The vehicle re-entered the traveling portion of the circle drive at the school before veering southeast, climbing the curb and striking the concrete base of a utility pole before coming to a stop.
Hohensee was taken by Humboldt Ambulance to Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) for treatment of serious/incapacitating injuries. The investigating officer said it is believed that Hohensee suffered from an unreported medical condition at the time of the accident. He was Life Flighted from HCMH a short time after the accident.
There was an estimated $2,000 disabling damage to the front of Hohensee’s 2022 GMC pickup. There was a unreported amount of damage to the light pole owned by MidAmerican Energy.
No other vehicles were damaged or persons injured.
The second accident occurred at 11:16 a.m. Wednesday morning, Jan. 12. The accident occurred at the intersection of Iowa Avenue and 230th Street, three miles west of Humboldt. Two Pocahontas County drivers were involved.
The Iowa State Patrol investigated the accident. According to Trooper Blaine Kemp, a 2010 Pontiac G6 driven by Gage Pedersen, 21, of Rolfe, was stopped on Iowa Avenue. Pedersen pulled out into 230th Street (County Road C-44), attempting to make a left turn. He did not yield to a 1997 Honda Accord driven by Malea Brown, 44, of Pocahontas, and the two cars collided. Pedersen's Pontiac was stopped in the roadway. Brown's older model Honda left the roadway and entered the south ditch. It collided with a tree in the side yard of the Daryl Nostrom home, 2303 Iowa Avenue. Both drivers were taken to HCMH for treatment of injuries. Pedersen's injuries were believed to be minor in nature. Brown was taken to HCMH and Air Flighted to an unknown metro trauma unit with suspected serious/incapacitating injuries. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, Humboldt Fire Department, Humboldt EMS and Jergens Auto Body. The accident remains under investigation.
