CENTERVILLE, Iowa — One person is dead, and another is hospitalized following a motorcycle crash in Appanoose County on Friday afternoon.
Shortly after 3 p.m., a 16-year-old SUV driver from Centerville turned in front of a motorcycle, causing a collision with the SUV's passenger side, according to the Iowa State Patrol. The motorcycle's operator, 50-year-old Brandon Baughman from Unionville, Missouri, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 58-year-old woman from Centerville, a passenger in the SUV, was taken to a local hospital with unspecified injuries. Emergency responders from the Centerville Fire Department were on the scene to assist.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the accident, and updates will be provided as they become available.
As of now, the Iowa Department of Transportation reports that 50 people have died on Iowa roads in 2023, which is an increase of nine compared to the same time last year. The five-year average for annual fatalities in statewide crashes is 337.