DOT camera captures I-80 crash in dangerous construction zone

Posted: Sep 21, 2023 / 10:29 AM CDT

Updated: Sep 21, 2023 / 12:59 PM CDT

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Traffic on I-80 eastbound came to a standstill Thursday morning after a multi-vehicle accident just before the Jordan Creek Parkway exit.

It happened around 7: 35 a.m. at mile marker 121, near the Jordan Creek Parkway exit, on a section of the interstate where construction has been underway for months.

Video of the crash, from Iowa Department of Transportation traffic cameras, shows traffic slowing in the area before the start of the chain-reaction collision. Watch the video below.

Sgt. Alex Dinkla with the Iowa State Patrol provided WHO 13 with a photo of the aftermath of the crash, showing multiple vehicles smashed up and an SUV on top of another vehicle. He did not have specifics on the crash or whether anyone was injured, as the ISP only assisted with traffic.

The crash caused the eastbound lanes to be closed for some time and the Iowa DOT put a detour in place. The road is now open again.

Sgt. Dinkla told WHO 13 there were 10 vehicles involved in the crash and three people were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation but Sgt. Dinkla said the common themes in crashes in this area have been vehicles going too fast during the morning commute and not allowing for a safe following distance.

There have been multiple accidents in the same area during construction. According to the WDMPD, since June 1st the department has responded to 41 accidents on that stretch of the interstate. Two of them were fatal, with one involving a motorcycle and the other being classified as a suicide.

In response to an inquiry from WHO 13 Thursday, the Iowa DOT provided preliminary crash data numbers between May 3, when construction began, and September 20 of this year for the stretch of I-80 between DeSoto and the Jordan Creek Parkway exit. The data is compiled from all of the law enforcement agencies who respond to accidents on that section of I-80. The DOT says those numbers can change depending on when the investigations wrap up and the reports are submitted to the DOT.

The preliminary data shows there have been 44 total crashes, with two of them being fatal.

The DOT provided stats from previous years for that same time period: