Names released of two people killed in 15-vehicle crash near Iowa City

Jan. 9, 2023 2:49 pm

Westbound Interstate 80 at the Highway 1 exit into Iowa City is pictured Sunday afternoon, Jan. 8, 2023, by an Iowa Department of Transportation roadside camera. Two people died there early Sunday after a crash on an icy roadway. (Photo from Iowa Department of Transportation)

IOWA CITY — The two people who died in a 15-vehicle pileup outside Iowa City on Sunday morning have been identified as Junier Caballero Vernero, of Houston, Texas, and David Mosinski, of Wilton.

Vernero, 37, was a passenger in a semi-trailer truck, and Mosinski, 57, was the driver of a pickup. Eight other people were taken to a hospital with injuries resulting from the crash, according to Trooper Robert Conrad, an Iowa State Patrol public resource officer.

The crash, which involved nine semis and six other vehicles, happened about 5:40 a.m. Sunday on westbound Interstate 80 at the exit for Highway 1 into Iowa City. Iowa State Patrol said the area was fully covered in ice at the time of the crash.

“Even though the crash still is under investigation, we know that several drivers lost control of their vehicles and collided into each other. As this very unfortunate chain of events transpired, two people lost their lives, and several others were injured,” Conrad said in a statement.

“This crash demonstrates the importance of all drivers paying attention, every single minute, to road conditions and potential hazards ahead.”

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