UTV crash with pickup kills 2 on Benton County highway

Two people were killed on a Benton County highway Saturday when a passing pickup struck a left-turning UTV, according to an Iowa State Patrol crash report.

At 4:04 p.m., William Geater, 76, and Mary McElhinney, 60, both of Vinton, were eastbound in a Ranger Polaris UTV on County Highway E24 (also known as 61st Street Lane) about three miles east of Vinton. Specific information about who was driving the UTV has not yet been released.

An eastbound Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, driven by Francis Baldus, 74, of Jewell, began passing the UTV as both vehicles approached 68th Avenue Drive, according to the report. The UTV made a left turn in front of the pickup and the pickup struck the UTV, causing it to roll in the north ditch and ejecting Geater and McElhinney.

The crash remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol.