2 Sisters Killed in Head-on Collision in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa — Weather may be to blame for a head-on collision that took the lives of two sisters and sent another family member to the hospital Sunday morning.

The crash happened in the southbound lanes at the 2900 block of 6th Avenue shortly before 5 a.m. According to the preliminary investigation, a northbound Toyota passenger car crossed into the southbound lanes and collided with a southbound Jeep SUV.

Investigators say the two people who died were sisters.  A cousin of the two victims remains in hospital care and is in critical condition.  Two others involved in the crash have minor injuries. The police have not released the names of any victims at this time.

“Any time we have a crash like this, it is hard. This one is going to be even harder because we’ve got two sisters that are dead and another family member in critical condition, so I think the community’s hearts are going to go out for that,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek. “This is one of those weather episodes that snuck up on us. I don’t think anyone expected to wake up and see snow, so driving in it you’ve got to make adjustments pretty quickly because before crews have a chance to treat the streets when it’s unexpected like this. We have to do everything we can to be cautious.”

The Des Moines Police Department Traffic Unit does not believe speed, distracted or impaired driving played a role in the crash at this time.