HARRISON COUNTY – Three Iowans died after a truck rolled while failing to negotiate a curve, striking a motorcycle, and another man only survived after dumping his bike to evade deletion.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, the accident took place on June 18, 2023. At about 4:23 PM that day, a truck driven by 73-tear-old Ronald Keith Meeker of Woodbine, Iowa, was westbound on Iowa Highway 127 when it failed to negotiate a curve at intersection of Loess Trail Road, and went through the stop sign there. The truck rolled onto its side into the southbound lane of Highway 127 and struck a 2014 Harley-Davison motorcycle, driven by Steven Theodore Starkey and Julie Sarkey, both age 53 of Council Bluffs. Both motorcyclists were thrown from the bike. The truck continued and struck a 2016 Harley-Davison motorcycle driven by 52-year-old Joseph Anthony Baker of Yutan, Nebraska. He evaded deletion by jumping from his bike before the collision. A third motorcycle evaded collision, also. The driver of the Yamaha bike was Adam Opal with passenger Samantha Opal, both age 38 of McClelland, Iowa.
As a result of the crash, Steven Theodore Starkey and Julie Sarkey were killed. Also killed was Ronald Keith Meeker. Adam Opal and Samantha Opal were both injured and airlifted to a hospital.
