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Two women and a child died Friday in a head-on crash with a semi tractor-trailer, shattering a western Iowa family.
The cause remains under investigation, but a family member said late Friday that the driver of the car, Maria Araujo-Sanchez, had previously suffered from a medical condition that caused blackouts, and she had experienced two the day before.
Araujo-Sanchez, 28, was westbound on U.S. 30, about a mile-and-a-half west of Vail, Iowa, when her Toyota Camry crossed the center line, the Iowa State Patrol said.
The car slammed into a semi, killing Araujo-Sanchez. Her passengers, Bertha Sanchez-Moreno, 56, and Daniel Resendiz, 12, also died at the scene. All three lived in nearby Denison, Iowa.
Sanchez-Moreno was Araujo-Sanchez' mother. Daniel was a grandson of Sanchez-Moreno and a nephew of Araujo-Sanchez, said Christian Resendiz, 14, an older brother of Daniel.
The driver of the semi, Glenn Sturm, 58, of Breda, Iowa, was treated at Crawford County Memorial Hospital and released.
All involved in the crash, except for Daniel, were wearing seat belts, according to the initial accident report. The collision occurred about 9:50 a.m.
Daniel had just completed the sixth grade at Denison Middle School, Christian said.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
This report includes material from the World-Herald News Service.
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