SLATER — A Polk County man died instantly Sunday afternoon after he apparently ran a stop sign and was struck by another vehicle in rural northern Polk County.

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Mark Casey said it appeared the man, who was not immediately identified, was traveling west on NW 158th Ave. about 2:30 p.m. when he failed to stop for the two-way stop at NW 44th St., about two miles south of Slater. The man’s GMC Sonoma pickup truck was broadsided by a Lexus SUV traveling south. Both vehicles skidded into a utility pole southwest of the intersection and were engulfed in flames. The pickup driver was trapped inside his vehicle, Casey said.

An Iowa State Patrol dispatcher said Sunday night the man’s name would not be released until Monday.

The occupants of the SUV, Harold and Phyllis Scholl of Adair, were transported by ambulance to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames for treatment of minor injuries. They are expected to remain overnight for observation.

There were no witnesses to the mid-afternoon wreck, but the injured couple, after leaving the SUV, called 911 on a cell phone saying there had been an accident and “the other driver won’t get out of his car,” Casey said.

Huxley and Slater fire personnel responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze and extricate the pickup driver.