ORAN – A lonely Northern Iowa crossroads became a sprawling field of twisted steel after a Missouri driver allegedly blew a stop sign and unleashed a three-vehicle chain-reaction crash involving two heavy trucks and an innocent motorist waiting his turn.
When the dust settled at Highway 3 and rural W Avenue, three people were headed to the hospital and every vehicle involved—a semi and trailer, a Dodge Ram 5500 and trailer, and a Chevrolet Impala—was headed for the scrapyard. The driver blamed for starting the destruction was later handed a comparatively modest $491.25 court bill.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received the crash report at approximately 1:13 p.m. on Monday, July 27, 2026.
Deputies arrived to find the three battered vehicles scattered into the ditch.
Investigators determined that 20-year-old Diego Ernesto Guardado Tejada of Grandview, Missouri, had been driving the Dodge Ram north on W Avenue with 21-year-old Evanny Garcia, also of Grandview, riding as his passenger.
Authorities said Guardado Tejada failed to obey the stop sign and yield the right of way before crashing into a westbound semi-tractor and trailer driven by 29-year-old Lakhwinder Singh of Iselin, New Jersey.
The initial collision sent the vehicles crashing into a Chevrolet Impala driven by 28-year-old Seth Reinking of Westgate.
Reinking had been sitting at the stop sign on W Avenue in the southbound lane when his car was swept into the wreck through no reported fault of his own.
Singh, Guardado Tejada and Garcia were transported to Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner. Authorities did not disclose the extent of their injuries.
All three vehicles were declared total losses.
The sheriff’s office cited Guardado Tejada for failing to obey a stop sign and yield the right of way.
Iowa court records show he was found guilty of the scheduled traffic violation on August 12.
Guardado Tejada was ordered to pay a $375 fine, a $56.25 surcharge and $60 in court costs, bringing his total obligation to $491.25. Court records showed the entire amount remained unpaid.
The traffic case was filed in Fayette County as case number 01331 NTA0037229.
The semi driver has previously encountered Iowa’s commercial-vehicle enforcement system.
Court records show Singh was ticketed by the Iowa State Patrol in Cerro Gordo County on March 21, 2023, for an hours-of-service violation under Iowa Code section 321.449.
Hours-of-service regulations limit how long commercial drivers may remain behind the wheel and require prescribed rest periods.
Singh was found guilty by the court on May 9, 2023, and assessed a $105 fine, a $15.75 surcharge and $55 in court costs. He paid the entire $175.75 balance.
A notice of noncompliance was entered in that case, and notice of the conviction was sent to the Iowa Department of Transportation.
There is no indication that the three-year-old hours-of-service violation contributed to the July 2026 collision. Fayette County investigators determined that Guardado Tejada caused the crash by failing to stop and yield to Singh’s westbound semi.
The crash remained under investigation following the sheriff’s initial announcement.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, Oran First Responders, Oran Fire Department, MercyOne Ambulance, Del’s Towing Service Center, B & L Towing and Iowa Big Rig Service.
(PHOTOS via the sheriff’s office.)