Three people were killed and two injured in a head-on collision yesterday (Friday) northeast of Atlantic. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the crash occurred at approximately 12:51 p.m. on U.S. Highway 71 near the intersection with Troublesome Creek Road. Authorities say a 1999 Ford F350, operated by 43-year-old Michael Adam Warnaca of Exira, was traveling northbound and crossed the centerline into the path of a southbound 2011 Toyota Camry, operated by 46-year-old Erick William Kerkman of North Liberty. Following the crash, the Warnaca truck rolled onto its passenger side, coming to rest on the west shoulder. The Kerkman sedan came to rest in the west ditch. Warnaca was killed in the crash, and a 10-year-old male passenger was transported by Cass County Emergency Medical Services to Cass County Medical Center. Kerkman and a 15-year-old female juvenile passenger in the Toyota were also killed. A 12-year-old male juvenile passenger in the Kerkman vehicle was transported by Cass County Emergency Medical Services and later transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
