Polk County to study deadly intersection near Bondurant
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Linda Fristoe was killed at an intersection near Bondurant in September. Photo: Courtesy of Hollie Ohrt
After her mother was killed in a crash at a rural Polk County intersection, Hollie Ohrt is pushing for safety changes.
Why it matters: Linda Fristoe was the second person killed this year at NE 56th Street and NE 94th Avenue near Bondurant, where four crashes have occurred in five months.
Driving the news: The Polk County Board of Supervisors approved a $57,565 contract with Bolton & Menk on Tuesday to conduct a comprehensive traffic study of the intersection.
Flashback: On Sept. 30, Fristoe and her husband, Terry, were driving from Marshalltown to Ankeny to trade in their daughter's aging minivan.
- At the two-way stop, the Fristoes were in a three-car accident that killed Linda, while her husband suffered eight fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.
- The family still hasn't held a memorial service as their dad is still recovering from the fractured ribs and is barely able to move, Ohrt says.
- The case remains under investigation, and no crash report has been released to the public yet, Polk County Sgt. Brittany Worrall tells Axios.
Plus: In May, 19-year-old Samantha Moore died after a collision with a dump truck at the same intersection.
- Friends and family of both victims have created an online petition calling for changes to the intersection.
Zoom in: The newly commissioned study will examine crash history, traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, traffic controls and surrounding roads.
- It will also recommend whether the intersection needs a four-way stop, signal or roundabout, according to a statement from Polk County officials.
- County engineers already installed reflective tape on stop signs, and signs noting that cross traffic doesn't stop.
- A July study based on federal guidance showed that no infrastructure improvements were needed at the intersection.
What they're saying: "I don't want anyone else to have to go through the pain that my family or her family is going through right now," Ohrt said about her mother and Moore.
What's next: The county expects preliminary findings in two weeks and a final report in 10 weeks.