DES MOINES – A 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air and a police cruiser both met tragic ends when this allegedly intoxicated Iowa man was tooling around Des Moines and caused this nearly head-on collision over the holiday weekend.
According to Des Moines police, a 1st watch patrol officer narrowly escaped serious injuries after his patrol car was hit by a driver who has been charged with OWI (operating while intoxicated).
The officer was hit, nearly head-on, by a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air just after 1:00 AM on the city’s south side on Friday night, July 3, 2025. The 62-year-old male driver, identified as Daniel David Thornburg, still managed to drive away from the scene, but was located by other officers within 3 minutes. Thornburg was cuffed, arrested, thrown in jail, an also charged with leaving the scene of an accident and improper use of lanes.
Fourth of July holiday celebrations often lead to an increase in deadly crashes on our Nations roadways, police say. According to NHTSA data, 40% of the over 2,500 drivers killed during the annual holiday period during 2019-2023 were impaired.
