WEST UNION, IOWA – A tragic accident left three people – including two from Nashua – with life-threatening injuries when a pickup truck slammed into a garbage truck that was backing into a farm driveway.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office reports that on December 31, 2015 at 6:43 AM, the deputies with that agency took a 911 call of a two vehicle accident two miles west of West Union on Hwy 18. Once deputies arrived, they found a garbage truck driven by Dustin Jon Bunn, age 23 of Fairbank and his passenger Jeremiah M. Geary, age 35 of Fayette, were backing the truck into a farm drive when a pickup truck driven by Phillip Wayne Emerson White, age 24 of Nashua and his passenger Melinda Lee Scribner, age 41 also of Nashua collided with the garbage truck.
Scribner was trapped in the vehicle and the West Union Fire Department used the jaws of life and was able to cut her free. She was transported to Palmer Hospital and later air lifted to Mayo Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, with life threatening injuries. White was also transported to Palmer and later air lifted to the UI Hospital in Iowa City with life threating injuries. Geary, who was out of the vehicle collecting trash at the time of impact, was struck by the garbage truck upon impact and transported to Palmer Hospital and then air-lifted to Gunderson Hospital in Lacrosse, Wisconsin with life-threading injuries. Bunn was transported to Palmer Hospital and to be treated for his injuries.
Law enforcement says Bunn will be cited for unsafe backing upon a highway and White will be cited for driving with a suspended driver’s license.
The Sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the West Union Fire Department, The Department of Transportation Enforcement, West Union Police, Tri Sstate and Fayette Ambulance services. Also, White and Scribner had a Dog in their vehicle and it was taken to the West Union Vet Clinic for treatment.
