Deadly Iowa Lakes bus crash happened at curve with history of wrecks

The "Jolley Curve" on Iowa Highway 4 in Calhoun County is where a bus carrying the Iowa Lakes Community College baseball team crashed on Wednesday morning after failing to follow the curve in the roadway. Authorities say the bus continued straight into the crash site, entering the ditch and rolling, leaving one person dead and nearly three dozen injured. The cause remains under investigation.Iowa State Patrol Trooper Paul Gardner called the crash a tragedy and said the stretch of road has a history of serious wrecks. He described it as the fourth deadly crash in the area in roughly the past decade, noting that collisions are not uncommon at the curve.“Highway 4 is a busy roadway at times,” Gardner said. He added that the curve at Jolley sees increased traffic and that speed can sometimes play a role. “It’s just like any other state highway … we have the curve there at Jolley. We see more traffic going through there. Sometime speed can be a factor,” he said.On Thursday, members of the Iowa Lakes baseball community and families went to the Iowa State Patrol post in Fort Dodge to retrieve belongings. A team member and family declined an interview request.Local agencies also responded with support as details emerged. “We’re going to look out for our neighbors. That’s just what we do,” said Robert Boley, superintendent of the Pocahontas Area Community School District, which sent a bus to the scene in case transportation was needed.Boley said the district is also prepared to help with basic needs.“We talked about providing lunch if they needed food,” he said, adding that officials didn’t yet know the full scope of the situation but recognized it was around midday. Investigators continue working to determine why the driver went straight instead of turning at the curve.