A tragic crash in dense fog claimed the life of a 43-year-old Iowa mother of four, leaving her husband and young son critically injured, according to Bettendorf police and family members.
The collision occurred on Friday, Oct. 24, when a pickup truck carrying the family struck a semi-truck pulling out of a business and turning onto a street, authorities said. The woman died at the scene, while her 41-year-old husband and 9-year-old son were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. The semi-truck driver was not injured.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those involved in this tragedy,” said Police Chief Doug Scott. “Our investigation is not completed, but preliminarily we believe the lack of visibility caused by the fog was a major contributing factor.”
The victims were identified as Joel and Jaime Zank and their son Zander, according to KWQC.
“Jaime was the glue that held all of this together,” said David Zank, Joel’s father. “She was such a beautiful soul — she would dance, grab your hand, and say, ‘It’s time to dance.’”
Jaime, a mother of three before meeting Joel in 2014, later welcomed Zander with him, her father-in-law wrote in a GoFundMe post. “It was beautiful to watch a family coalesce around the addition of little Zander. He was full of life and seemed to complete the family.”
The Zanks were on their way to go deer hunting in southern Iowa when the semi-truck pulled into their path. Both drivers were unable to see each other due to the thick fog, the GoFundMe explained.
Joel suffered multiple broken bones and head injuries, while Zander’s heart stopped after the crash. Though doctors revived him, he has remained non-responsive since and was reported to be in a coma at the University of Iowa Hospital as of Oct. 27.
“Four boys have lost their mother, and three are struggling mightily to make sense of all this,” the fundraiser read. “Joel will heal physically, but he will never be the same as he blames himself for this tragedy.”
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