MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa —
Authorities have identified the postal service worker killed in a Friday morning crash in Marshalltown.
Iowa State Patrol troopers said the accident happened around 11:45 a.m. near the Marshall County Courthouse when a driver of a minivan was headed south on North Center Street and ran a red light.
The minivan struck a westbound USPS truck on East Church Street, causing the postal truck to roll over on its side. The postal service worker died in the crash, officials said.
Authorities identified the driver of the postal truck as 34-year-old Amy Sanders, of Grinnell.
The driver of the minivan has been identified as 60-year-old Debra Meister, of Waterloo. She suffered minor injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.
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MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa -- The Iowa State Patrol has identified the USPS worker who was killed as 34-year-old Amy Sanders of Grinnell, IA.
The crash report says Sanders was driving in her postal vehicle westbound on Church Street and continued through a yellow light. The second vehicle, a Grand Caravan driven by 60-year-old Debra Meister of Waterloo, was travelling south on Center Street and drove through a red light, colliding with Sanders who died of her injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
Traffic came to a halt and was blocked off for hours near the Marshall County Courthouse.
"It's scary knowing someone could die," said Josh Barber, a Marshalltown resident.
At 11:44 a.m. on Friday, the Iowa State Patrol says a minivan traveling south on Center Street and a USPS vehicle heading west on East Church Street collided at the controlled intersection. Barber said it flipped the mail carrier's vehicle on its side.
"I just saw that it was tipped over. I saw there was broken glass."
Investigators say the driver of that vehicle died of their injuries.
"I saw them put the white cover over in case they didn't want to see something they didn't want to," said Barber.
In the hours after, law enforcement continued to tell residents it was best to stay away. Immediately following the accident, Barber was told, "If you don't want to be disturbed or see something you don't want to see, you might want to leave."
Steven Meyer lives within walking distance from the crash. While it's truly tragic, he's surprised it hasn't happened sooner.
"Sometimes the people that are going north and south will try and beat the light, so I usually, as I'm heading west, I'll sit for one or two seconds as the light changes to make sure nobody is going to run that light."
Investigators have yet to determine who had the right of way, but Meyer believes this was an incident that could have been avoided. He said, "Unfortunate, with the weather conditions and road conditions, there is no reason for an accident."
The driver of the minivan was treated for minor injuries.