What happened
A 69-year-old Milford woman was seriously injured Friday morning, October 30, when her car and a semi collided at the intersection of Highway 18 and Clay County Road M-27, which people in the area call Barb's Corner, near Everly in northwest Iowa. (KUOO)
According to the Clay County Sheriff's Office, Tammy Miesner of Milford was driving a 2019 Buick Envision west on Highway 18. Tadas Mazuolis, 38, of Chicago, Illinois, was driving a 2019 Peterbilt semi north when the two collided in the intersection. Miesner's car became entangled under the semi trailer. The crash happened around 10:22 a.m. (KTIV)
Miesner had to be extricated from the wreckage. She was taken by ambulance to Spencer Hospital with what was described as life-threatening injuries. Mazuolis was not hurt. The sheriff's office said he was cited for failure to obey a stop or yield sign. The Iowa State Patrol, the Everly and Royal fire departments and Spencer Ambulance assisted at the scene. A traffic citation is an allegation, not a finding of guilt, and no update on Miesner's condition has been reported.
Our condolences
To Tammy and her family: we are so sorry this happened, and we are hoping for her recovery with everything we have. She was driving down the main highway on an ordinary Friday morning, and in an instant her car was under a trailer. No one should have to go through that, and no family should have to rush to a hospital not knowing what they'll find. We are also grateful to the Everly and Royal volunteer firefighters and the Spencer Ambulance crew who did the hard, careful work of getting her out.
Safety context
When a car and a semi collide, the people in the car almost always suffer the worst of it. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5,340 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2024, and 70 percent of them were occupants of other vehicles. Here in Iowa, the Department of Transportation had counted 239 traffic deaths so far in 2026 as of Monday, November 2, compared with 228 on the same day last year.
Rural intersections where a county road crosses a highway are a familiar danger in northwest Iowa, especially at harvest, when trucks are hauling grain and the corn can block your view:
- If you have the stop sign, stop fully and look twice, even at a corner you cross every day. A loaded semi takes much longer to clear an intersection than a car does.
- Truck drivers should treat unfamiliar rural stops with extra care. County-road stop signs can be easy to miss, and an out-of-state driver may not know the corner.
- On the through highway, slow a little and cover your brake when you see a truck waiting, or rolling, at a crossroad ahead.
- Make sure your lights are on in fog, dust and low sun, so cross traffic sees you sooner.
The rights of families after a crash like this
In general terms, when a driver who has a stop sign pulls into the path of traffic on the through highway, the driver on the highway usually did nothing to cause the crash. Under Iowa Code § 321.322(1), a driver approaching a stop sign must stop and, before proceeding, "shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle on the intersecting roadway which has entered the intersection or which is approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard." People hurt in crashes like this often have claims for medical bills, lost income, future care, and pain and suffering.
As to this crash specifically, and only as possibilities based on the reporting:
- The truck driver. The sheriff's office cited the semi driver for failing to obey a stop or yield sign. If the investigation confirms that the semi entered Highway 18 without yielding, Tammy may have a claim against the driver.
- The trucking company. If the driver was working for a motor carrier at the time, she may also have a claim against the company, both for the driver's conduct on the job and, depending on what the records show, for how the company hired, trained, scheduled or supervised its drivers. No reporting has identified the carrier.
- What the records may show. Commercial trucks often carry electronic logging devices, engine data and cameras. Those records can show the truck's speed, whether it stopped, and how long the driver had been on duty. They can be overwritten if no one acts to preserve them.
- Comparative fault and her own policy. Under Iowa Code § 668.3(1)(a), an injured person's recovery is reduced by their own share of fault and is barred only if that share is greater than the combined fault of the people they bring claims against. Every Iowa auto policy must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the policyholder rejected it in writing. That coverage may help if the responsible party's insurance falls short.
Iowa generally allows two years to bring an injury claim under Iowa Code § 614.1(2). The truck's data can disappear much sooner than that.
Learn more about your rights: you may want to read about who can be held responsible after a semi-truck crash, about how drivers are compensated after an intersection collision, and about injury claims for people hurt anywhere in Iowa.
How I help families in crisis
After a crash like this, a family is sitting in a hospital waiting room while the bills, the insurance calls and the questions about what comes next start piling up. Often the other side is a trucking company from another state. My job is to help families through that kind of crisis. I take the stress from their shoulders, take up the shield to protect and advocate for the rights of the person who was hurt, and guide the whole family through the difficult months of recovery.
In a case like this, that means getting the sheriff's report and the citation record, moving quickly to preserve the truck's logging, engine and camera data, identifying the carrier and every insurance policy that may apply, and documenting medical care and lost income so nothing is left out.
Over my career I have recovered more than $24 million for injured people and their families, earned countless five-star client reviews and the respect of fellow attorneys, and been recognized as Best of Omaha for personal injury in 2025 and 2026.
If you're part of Tammy's family, or someone you love was hurt in a crash like this one, I'm glad to talk whenever it suits you. There's no cost and no commitment in reaching out, and if you hire me, I'm paid only if I win.
Frequently asked questions
- What happened in the semi crash at Highway 18 and M-27 near Everly, Iowa?
- Around 10:22 a.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026, a westbound car on Highway 18 and a northbound semi collided at Clay County Road M-27, known as Barb's Corner, near Everly. The car became entangled under the trailer, and its 69-year-old driver was extricated and taken to Spencer Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
- What are the rights of families after a crash like this?
- A driver on the through highway usually did nothing to cause a crash with someone who had a stop sign. If the investigation confirms the semi failed to yield, the injured driver may have claims against the truck driver and, if he was working, the trucking company, plus her own underinsured coverage.
- How does Frank Younes help families after something like this?
- Frank takes the legal burden off the family: getting the sheriff's report and citation record, preserving the truck's logging, engine and camera data, identifying the carrier and every insurance policy, and documenting medical bills and lost income. The first conversation is free, and there is no fee unless he wins.
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