ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — A Jeep fell into a creek after the driver went around a road barricade, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said.
The office investigated the accident at about 11:36 p.m. on July 4. Xander Ditsworth, 20, of Rock Rapids was driving a 2014 Jeep Patriot south on Larch Avenue near 170th Street. He then went around a road closed barricade thinking it was passable, the sheriff’s office said.
The road and bridge approach south of the intersection had been totally washed away by recent flooding. The Jeep then became “airborne,” hit the bridge, and went into the creek below, according to officials.
Ditsworth and two other passengers were able to escape the Jeep, which was “mostly submerged.” The three were taken to a hospital, with one being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Jeep was declared a complete loss, and Ditsworth was cited for the simple misdemeanor of failure to obey a traffic control device.