MASON CITY – A Mason City police officer responding to an emergency was hurt when a driver allegedly blew through a stop sign and caused a chain reaction auto collision.
The incident took place at 12:12 PM, March 25, 2023. Mason City police officer Roungaroun Phaiboun, age 49 of Clear Lake, was operating a 2020 Ford Explorer and responding to an emergency call for service, apparently traveling west on 5th Street SW in Mason City. At the intersection of President Avenue, his vehicle was struck by a 2008 Chevy Impala operated by 33-year-old Joseph Lee Pohlman of Mason City. Phaiboun’s Exmploer then struck a 2003 Nissan 350 operated by 23-year-old Rodney Patrick Hanson of Mason City.
As a result of these crashes, Phaiboun was take by ambulance to Mercy Hospital. Pohlman was taken to Mercy by private vehicle. Hanson was not hurt.
The accident remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol.