Two Injured After Semi, SUV Crash on 170th Street in Clear Lake; Vehicle Engulfed in Flames

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — Two people were taken to a hospital Wednesday morning after a collision between a sport utility vehicle and a semi-truck left the SUV engulfed in flames at the intersection of 170th Street and Grouse Avenue, authorities said.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash at 7:05 a.m. and identified the drivers as Gregg Wunder, 45, of Kanawha, and Phillip Gutierrez, 28, of Titonka.

Wunder was driving a 2021 Ford Edge east on 170th Street and attempting a left turn onto northbound Grouse Avenue when the collision occurred, according to the sheriff’s office. He stopped to let one vehicle pass but did not see Gutierrez’s 2017 Freightliner semi cresting a hill.

The Ford Edge struck the side of the semi, sending it spinning into the ditch on the west side of Grouse Avenue, where it came to rest on the driver’s side. Wunder and a 14-year-old passenger escaped the SUV before it was fully consumed by flames.

Wunder and the passenger were transported to Mercy North Iowa for treatment of possible injuries. Gutierrez was uninjured.

Thornton Fire and Rescue, Mason City Fire Medics and the Iowa State Patrol assisted at the scene. The incident remains under investigation by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office.