by Jody Spear –
A Mason City man lost his life Thursday, March 1, in a head on collision with a semi truck 1/8 mile east of Apple Avenue on Highway B14 (near Forest City), according to Iowa State Patrol Crash report.
At 8:01 am, Jeffrey Jindra, age 23, was driving a 1984 Chevy K10 pickup heading east where icy road conditions appeared to have made him lose control and cross the centerline. He hit, head on, a 2012 Freightliner driven by Curtis Powers, age 52, from Crawfordsville, Iowa.
Both Jindra and Powers were wearing seatbelts. Powers’ seatbelt, according to the Iowa State Patrol report, is what saved his life.
Powers’ truck was registered to ACH Foam Technologies of Washington, Iowa.
Jindra was taken by the Mason City Ambulance to Mercy Medical Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Powers was transported by Forest City Ambulance to Mercy Medical, where he was treated and later released.
Audrey McWorter of Mason City said, “My cousin Penny lost her son today…I cannot even imagine her pain right now. He was only 23.”
She went on to say to everybody, “Tell your children you love them because you never know when something so tragic is going to happen. RIP Jeff.”
The accident remains under investigation.
The State Patrol was assisted by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Department of Transportation, Forest City Fire Department and the Mason City and Forest City Ambulance Services.
