WEST DES MOINES — An Iowa man has died following a serious collision between a motorcycle and a school bus Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the 3000 block of EP True Parkway in West Des Moines, Iowa, at approximately 4:26 PM on April 21, 2026, after receiving reports of a crash involving a motorcycle and a secondary vehicle.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the motorcyclist, identified as 51-year-old Brian Franklin of West Des Moines, suffering from critical injuries. Franklin was treated at the scene and immediately transported to a nearby hospital; however, authorities confirmed that he did not survive his injuries. There were no other passengers on the motorcycle at the time of the incident.
The other vehicle involved in the crash was a West Des Moines Community School bus. According to West Des Moines Police Sergeant Dan Wade, there were six people on the bus at the time of the collision. Fortunately, none of the occupants on the bus sustained physical injuries.
The investigation into the crash caused significant traffic delays, with EP True Parkway remaining closed to the public for nearly three hours. The roadway was eventually reopened at approximately 7:00 PM. The West Des Moines Police Traffic Unit is continuing to investigate the cause of the fatal crash, and no further details regarding the circumstances of the collision have been released at this time.