Rock Valley, Iowa — One Rock Valley teen has died, and one was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital after an accident near Rock Valley on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
The Iowa State Patrol reports that at about 2:35 p.m., a 17-year-old juvenile from Rock Valley was driving a 2007 Cadillac Escalade six miles east of Rock Valley, or a mile north of Perkins Corner. They tell us that 53-year-old Michael Bembenek of Rosholt, Wisconsin, was northbound on Highway 75 in a 2009 Peterbilt semi.
The report says that the juvenile was stopped on Highway 18. Bembenek was northbound on Highway 75. The juvenile then pulled out from the stop sign, and their vehicle was struck by the semi that Bembenek was driving.
One juvenile was transported to the Sioux Center Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. Another 17-year-old juvenile was transported to Hegg Health Center Hospital and was then flown to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. The preliminary report does not state which juvenile had been driving. Bembenek reported no injuries.
KIWA Staff Photo
