Three Charles City residents receive minor injuries in Tuesday accident on the Avenue

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Three Charles City residents received minor injuries in a crash Tuesday morning involving a semi and a minivan on the Avenue of the Saints east of Nora Springs near Foothill Avenue.

According to a report by the Iowa State Patrol, Steven Darrell Hatcher, age 72, of Charles City, was driving a 2020 Freightliner semi westbound on Highway 18, the Avenue of the Saints, at a little after 9 a.m. Tuesday, and came upon a slower moving vehicle.

The other vehicle was a 2007 Chrysler minivan being driven by Joseph Sherman Martin, age 67, also of Charles City. The report said Hatcher swerved to attempt to miss Martin’s minivan but ran into the back of it.

Martin, along with Paula Lee Sisseck, age 70, and Jessica Renee Montgomery, age 23, all from Charles City, were transported to MercyOne-North Iowa hospital in Mason City by ambulance crews from the Mason City Fire Department, AMR and Nora Springs.

Trooper Sgt. Brett Lewis, who covered the accident, told the Press that all three of the injured people were in the minivan, and characterized their injuries as “minor.”

A spokesperson for MercyOne in Mason City said that hospital no longer gives out patient condition reports.

The State Patrol report said all three were wearing seatbelts and credited that with saving their lives.

Assisting at the scene were the ambulance companies and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office.