Alton, Iowa — For the second time in as many days a rural Alton farmer has had the grain wagons he was pulling crashed into by a vehicle from the rear.
The Iowa State Patrol says around 12:30 Tuesday afternoon a tractor pulling two loaded grain wagons and driven by 49-year old Jerry Full of Alton, was southbound on Highway 60, about four miles north of Alton, when his rear-most grain wagon was rear-ended by a 2005 Chevrolet pickup, driven by 20-year old Brody Pottebaum of Orange City.
According to the accident report, the force of the collision caused the second grain wagon to flip forward, dumping it’s load onto the highway. Troopers say it stayed tipped over on its front and Pottebaum’s pickup came to rest right behind it. According to authorities the tractor and first wagon came to rest a few hundred yards down the road.
Pottebaum told troopers he sneezed and looked down, and when he looked back up he rear-ended the grain wagon.
The Alton Ambulance transported Pottebaum to the Orange City Health System Hospital for treatment of what are reportedly minor injuries. Full escaped injury in the crash.
Troopers estimate damage to Full’s Demco wagon at approximately $15-thousand, and say that Pottebaum’s pickup was totaled in the crash.
Pottebaum was reportedly ticketed for Failure to Stop in Assured Clear Distance.
Ironically, it was almost exactly 24-hours earlier that Full was operating a tractor and grain wagons when he was rear-ended by a semi tractor-trailer rig. Monday’s crash took place about two miles further south on Highway 60 than did Wednesday’s mishap.
