Was it a distraction that caused him to lose his life?

Delaware County, Iowa - A 27-year-old man drove his car into the intersection and into the path of Nancy Appleton a 51-year-old woman from Greeley. He died in the ensuing collision. This young man (from Colesburg, Iowa) was driving a 1997 Ford Taurus and she was driving 2007 Chevy Trailblazer. According to the police he was southbound on 7^th Street and she was westbound on Highway 20. His car was struck right in the driver's side door. Trooper Driscoll was assisted by emergency responders and police from Dyersville, Delaware and Dubuque.

VEH NUMBER ONE WAS SOUTH BOUND ON 7TH ST AND PULLED INTO THE PATH OF VEH NUMBER TWO THAT WAS WEST BOUND ON HWY 20 VEH 2 STRUCK VEH 1 WITH THE FRONT OF THE VEH IN THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR OF VEH 1 VEH 1 SPUN AND CAME TO REST IN THE MEDIAN VEH 2 SPUN COMING TO REST IN THE RIGHT LANE OF WEST BOUND TRAFFIC ASSISTED BY DELAWARE CO AND DUBUQUE CO SHERIFF OFFICE DYSERVILLE PD DYSERVILLE FD BI CO AMBULANCE DYSERVILLE CO AMBULANCE AND STATE.

So let's consider the few facts we have and the rules of the road as we've discussed in other posts. She struck him on the passenger side. The intersection is with Highway 20, which is a state highway and has a 65 mph speed limit. I'm going to assume that means he has a stop sign and she the right away. This one is simple, it would appear from the few facts we have that he is at fault for failing to yield the right of way. What time did the accident happen? It happened on June 11, 2010 at 1610 hours or 4:10 in the afternoon. So what distracted him or blinded him to the fact he had to stop before entering this major state highway?

It's unfortunate the price this young man paid for failing to do something as simple as stopping and making sure the roadway is clear before attempting to cross it. Why isn't answered by the investigative report. Was he distracted with something like a cell phone? We don't know much about what may have caused his failure to stop because the Trooper's report and newsman's stories don't get into those details. His cell phone records would probably answer that question. That subject I've written about previously. No matter because even though he died in the ensuing collision Mrs. Appleton doesn't appear to be at fault and she still has a claim against this man's auto insurance, his estate as well as her own insurance policy.

Two stories you may find of interest are listed below.

Uncontrolled Intersections in Rural Iowa can be a Serious Challenge

It's the Cell Phone Participant Who's not in the car accident that lives with the guilt.