Two Killed, Several Injured in 16-Vehicle Accident on I-80 in Iowa City

[UPDATE 1/9 10 pm] According to an accident report from the Iowa State Patrol, a semi lost control on I-80, which had become icy, causing an accident that would eventually involve 16 vehicles.

The two people killed were 57-year-old David Mosinski of Fairfield and 37-year-old Junier Caballero-Venero of Houston, Texas. Johan Caballero-Venero was the driver whose semi jackknifed, blocking all three westbound lanes of I-80.

Junier Caballero-Venero was a passenger in the semi and was killed after being struck after exiting the tractor-trailer. Mosinski was killed when his vehicle crashed into the trailer of the jackknifed semi.

[ORIGINAL STORY] An accident on I-80 in Johnson County early this morning, has left two people dead and a number of others injured.

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According to Trooper Bob Conrad of the Iowa State Patrol, a crash happened on I-80, near mile marker 246, Sunday at approximately 5:40 a.m. There were 15 vehicles involved in the incident, six passenger-type vehicles and nine semis.

The accident resulted in eastbound I-80 being closed for a time. It reopened just before 8 a.m. The westbound lanes of I-80 were closed for nearly 8-and-a-half hours. Just before 2 p.m., the two left lanes of westbound I-80 reopened. The right lane remains closed while work is ongoing. There's no timetable for when the third lane will open.

Trooper Conrad reports that "two people lost their lives, and several others were injured". The names of those who were killed have not been released, pending notification of relatives.

While the cause of the crash is still being investigated, Trooper Conrad says "This crash demonstrates the importance of all drivers paying attention, every single minute, to road conditions and potential hazards ahead. Two families now have to adapt and accept a loved one never returning home. These types of crashes CAN often be avoided!"

Additional information on the accident is expected to be released on Monday.

This is the way the crash site looks, as of 2:55 p.m:

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