Blowing snow responsible for several accidents this morning

Wind blew snow onto Eastern Iowa roadways Monday, causing a spate of mid-morning accidents that injured at least three people.

Just before 8:30 a.m., Rodney N. Jones, 73, of Mount Vernon, lost control of his sport-utility vehicle as he was driving north on Highway 1, about two miles south of Mount Vernon. The SUV rolled into a ditch and trapped Jones, who was later taken by a medical helicopter to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

Jones was reported in stable condition last night, authorities said.

Traffic was blocked in both directions on Highway 1 for more than 30 minutes when the helicopter landed on the roadway.

In Benton County, Justine L. Bova, 75, of Lisbon, was seriously injured when she lost control on Highway 30 just west of the Benton-Linn County line at 9:20 a.m. Monday. Bova was driving west when her vehicle went into the median and overturned. She had to to be extricated by Atkins firefighters and first responders, the Benton County Sheriff's Office reported.

Bova was taken by medical helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, which had no information on her condition last night.

In Johnson County, Mary Stull, 82, of Cedar Rapids, was injured while riding in a sport-utility vehicle drive by Dennis L. Stull, 57, of Cedar Rapids.

The Iowa State Patrol reported the Stull vehicle was heading south when it went out of control and struck a northbound van driven by Matthew L. Day, 35, of Riverside. The 9:10 a.m. accident temporarily closed the northbound lanes of Highway 218 between the Hills and Riverside exits.

Mary Stull was taken the UI Hospitals and Clinics, which had no information on her condition last night.

Another accident around the same time between an SUV and a semi-trailer truck, in the same stretch of roadway, did not result in injuries, officials said.

Motorists also were hindered by patches of snow on Highway 151 near Springville, especially in the westbound lanes. One pickup lost control around 11:30 a.m. and wound up on its roof, but no one was injured, authorities said.

Snow plows addressed rural roads in Linn and Johnson counties Monday morning after the weekend snowfall.

Kevin Hackathorn, maintenance superintendent for the secondary roads department in Johnson County said a few small drifts were forming on hard-surface roads on Monday morning, but nothing out of the ordinary.

“It's normal winter driving conditions,” Hackathorn said. “You're going to have some slick spots here and there.”

Hackathorn said none of the roads in Johnson County were impassable, but Dubuque Street between North Liberty and Iowa City is often a troublesome spot for snow blowing over the road. He said drivers need to be cautious, even if it seems like the roads are fine.

Linn County Engineer Steve Gannon said the snow actually helped provide some traction on gravel roads that froze after last week's rain.

He said some snow was blowing onto roads Monday morning, but temperatures were low enough that it wasn't sticking.

By early afternoon, the sun was shining in most of Eastern Iowa, leaving the main roads mostly wet.

Wind blew snow onto Eastern Iowa roadways Monday, causing a spate of mid-morning accidents that injured at least three people.

Just before 8:30 a.m., Rodney N. Jones, 73, of Mount Vernon, lost control of his sport-utility vehicle as he was driving north on Highway 1, about two miles south of Mount Vernon. The SUV rolled into a ditch and trapped Jones, who was later taken by a medical helicopter to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

Jones was reported in stable condition last night, authorities said.

Traffic was blocked in both directions on Highway 1 for more than 30 minutes when the helicopter landed on the roadway.

In Benton County, Justine L. Bova, 75, of Lisbon, was seriously injured when she lost control on Highway 30 just west of the Benton-Linn County line at 9:20 a.m. Monday. Bova was driving west when her vehicle went into the median and overturned. She had to to be extricated by Atkins firefighters and first responders, the Benton County Sheriff's Office reported.

Bova was taken by medical helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, which had no information on her condition last night.

In Johnson County, Mary Stull, 82, of Cedar Rapids, was injured while riding in a sport-utility vehicle drive by Dennis L. Stull, 57, of Cedar Rapids.

The Iowa State Patrol reported the Stull vehicle was heading south when it went out of control and struck a northbound van driven by Matthew L. Day, 35, of Riverside. The 9:10 a.m. accident temporarily closed the northbound lanes of Highway 218 between the Hills and Riverside exits.

Mary Stull was taken the UI Hospitals and Clinics, which had no information on her condition last night.

Another accident around the same time between an SUV and a semi-trailer truck, in the same stretch of roadway, did not result in injuries, officials said.

Motorists also were hindered by patches of snow on Highway 151 near Springville, especially in the westbound lanes. One pickup lost control around 11:30 a.m. and wound up on its roof, but no one was injured, authorities said.

Snow plows addressed rural roads in Linn and Johnson counties Monday morning after the weekend snowfall.

Kevin Hackathorn, maintenance superintendent for the secondary roads department in Johnson County said a few small drifts were forming on hard-surface roads on Monday morning, but nothing out of the ordinary.

“It's normal winter driving conditions,” Hackathorn said. “You're going to have some slick spots here and there.”

Hackathorn said none of the roads in Johnson County were impassable, but Dubuque Street between North Liberty and Iowa City is often a troublesome spot for snow blowing over the road. He said drivers need to be cautious, even if it seems like the roads are fine.

Linn County Engineer Steve Gannon said the snow actually helped provide some traction on gravel roads that froze after last week's rain.

He said some snow was blowing onto roads Monday morning, but temperatures were low enough that it wasn't sticking.

By early afternoon, the sun was shining in most of Eastern Iowa, leaving the main roads mostly wet.