FLOYD COUNTY — A Mason City man had to be cut from his pickup and another truck caught fire after a violent head-on collision Friday evening on Highway 18 in Northern Iowa that sent both drivers to the hospital.
The crash happened at approximately 6:51 p.m. on October 3, 2026, on U.S. Highway 18 between Echo Avenue and Foothill Avenue in Floyd County.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, 42-year-old Bruce O’Hern Jr. of Mason City was driving a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 eastbound on Highway 18 when he lost control.
The Dodge crossed the median and smashed head-on into a westbound 2017 Ford F-350 driven by 45-year-old Timothy Dodd of Bowling Green, Missouri.
Pickup and trailer tumble into ditch
The impact sent Dodd’s Ford into the north ditch, where a trailer it was pulling overturned.
The truck then caught fire.
O’Hern’s badly damaged Dodge came to rest in the westbound lanes of Highway 18.
Local firefighters had to extricate O’Hern from his pickup following the collision.
O’Hern was transported by AMR Charles City to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City.
Dodd was also injured and was transported to MercyOne North Iowa by Nora Springs Ambulance.
The State Patrol report indicates both men were wearing seat belts.
Both vehicles were removed from the crash scene by Lake Towing.
Highway 18 crash remains under investigation
The Iowa State Patrol has not yet said what caused O’Hern to lose control before crossing the median. The crash remains under investigation.
The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, area fire departments, Floyd County Search and Rescue, Nora Springs Fire Department and Ambulance, AMR Ambulance, Rudd Fire Department, Lake Towing and additional Iowa State Patrol personnel assisted at the scene.
The violent wreck adds to a series of serious crashes across the area this year. In July, NIT reported on a Charles City bicyclist who was airlifted to MercyOne North Iowa after being struck by a pickup in Floyd County.
Another Highway 18 collision in August injured a Mason City teenager after his car struck a parked semi on an off-ramp.
No citations or traffic charges stemming from Friday night’s crash were announced in the initial State Patrol report.