Four-vehicle accident occurs on Lincoln Way

Lissandra Villa

A four-vehicle accident occurred near Iowa State’s Memorial Union near the Ash Avenue and Lincoln Way T-intersection on Sunday around noon.

A Toyota Camry hit three other vehicles while they were approaching or stopped at the red light on Lincoln Way. Sergeant Brad Baker of the Ames Police Department said that no one except the Camry driver was hurt.

The Camry first hit the vehicle driven by Dennis Wiest, a Naperville, Ill., resident in Ames for the weekend as an accompanying prospective student participating in Greek Getaway.

Wiest said he was pulling up to the red light in the left lane when the Camry hit the back of his car. When he felt his car being pushed, Wiest said he wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, so he moved over to the left lane.

“Luckily we were slowing down well enough before the car in front of us that I was able to absorb some of the impact and move out of the way,” Wiest said.

The Camry then went on to the right and passed between two other vehicles, hitting them both. Wiest said the driver seemed to be accelerating.

“I was stopped at the red light,” said Becca Malone, an Ames resident. “I was in the right lane… [the Camry driver] apparently had stepped on the gas and it had gotten stuck, and he came in between me and the black car. … He went through us, jumped up on the curb, hit the light-post and then his tire blew out and finally he came to a stop.”

Malone said an ambulance was called for the Camry driver, who she said had injured his leg. Baker said they were minor injuries.

Baker said the Camry driver made a claim that there was a mechanical issue.

The Camry driver was cited for failure to stop at a safe and sure distance.

Traffic was back to normal by 1 p.m.