Driver in fatal North Liberty pickup-motorcycle crash identified

NORTH LIBERTY - The North Liberty Police Department has identified the Swisher man killed in a motorcycle-truck collision Sunday evening.

Police said 57-year-old Ronald Carson died at a hospital from his injuries after his motorcycle collided with a truck. His passenger, Jane Carson, remains hospitalized and her condition is unknown.

Authorities were dispatched to Penn Street and Nathan Avenue at 5:15 p.m. Sunday for a report of a collision between a truck and a motorcycle. At least one injury was reported.

Police determined that Carson and his passenger collided with a truck. A second motorcycle behind him, with driver James Steinfadt and passenger Vicki Meskimem, both of Blairstown, purposely laid out the motorcycle to avoid another collision. Steinfadt and Meskimem suffered minor injuries in the fall, police said.

The driver of the truck, Michael Werle, 36, of North Liberty, was not injured in the crash. Werle has been cited for failure to yield while making a left turn.

The crash remains under investigation. The North Liberty Police Department was assisted in the call by the North Liberty Fire Department, Johnson County Ambulance Service and Iowa State Patrol.