MT. PLEASANT — A fiery crash involving two semis — one hauling livestock — sent one driver to the hospital and scattered hogs across the roadside Thursday morning on Highway 218, just north of Mt. Pleasant.

The collision happened around 7:45 a.m. at the intersection of 170th Street and U.S. Highway 218, near mile marker 51.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, 60-year-old Jose Venegas of Iowa City was driving a southbound 2017 Mack semi-trailer when he attempted to turn left onto 170th Street. He failed to yield and crossed into the path of a northbound semi driven by 22-year-old Derek Blint of Danville.

The collision sent Blint’s livestock hauler into the east ditch, where it caught fire. His trailer split open, releasing multiple hogs into the highway median. Venegas’s vehicle came to rest in the intersection.

Emergency crews transported Venegas — who was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision — to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment.

Eichelberger Farms arrived just before 9 a.m. with a Live Animal Response Unit to help capture the hogs and assess their injuries. Breuer Towing removed Blint’s damaged trailer from the ditch and Newberry Towing and Recovery took care of Venegas’ vehicle.

Responders spent several hours clearing the scene, recovering animals, and rerouting traffic. Authorities advised drivers to avoid the area well into the afternoon as delays continued.

As of Thursday evening, officials had not announced any citations or charges. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Matt Schwenn is leading the investigation, which remained ongoing as of Thursday evening.

Witnesses Describe a Frantic Scene

According to a commuter on the road at the time of the accident, Tristain Kilpatrick, Blint escaped his burning truck and stayed at the scene to assist.

Kilpatrick had just passed the hog trailer minutes before the collision.

“My wife and I were heading to her doctor's appointment in Iowa City,” Kilpatrick said. “I heard a loud noise and looked in the rearview mirror and saw this fire — it looked like something blew up. I turned around and saw the engine of the hog truck was on fire.”

Kilpatrick said Blint handed his phone to a woman nearby so he could help another man pull Venegas from the wreckage.

“When they pulled him out, he looked lifeless,” he said.

Blint’s response stood out.

“He was helping,” Kilpatrick recalled. “He was this young kid to me, so he probably jumped out when he saw he was in danger. He was more worried about the other guy.”

Kilpatrick said he also tried to help keep loose hogs from running into traffic.

“There were about four or five hogs running around,” he said. “They were pretty banged up.”

Driver Kelly Johnson Hultquist passed through the intersection just seconds before the crash and narrowly avoided the chaos.

“I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a lot of black smoke and flames,” she said. “Had I been running 10 seconds earlier I would have witnessed it. I'm glad I didn't as I had children in the car.”

Bill Crawford, who lives near Swedesburg, said he could have seen the black smoke from his home and initially thought someone was burning tires. As he drove past the scene, he saw otherwise.

“The hog hauler was down in the field, fully engulfed,” Crawford said. “It didn’t look too hopeful from what I saw, for any survivors.”

He described the second vehicle as a bottom-dump rock hauler that “jackknifed right at the intersection.”

Crawford saw Northbound traffic backed up for “well over half a mile.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com