Two die in Highway 34 accident

A 23-year-old and a two-year-old were killed Sunday afternoon on U.S. Highway 34 when the vehicle they were in struck the back of a semi, which was parked in the right lane of the highway.

The accident occurred at approximately 12:28 p.m. Sunday, July 1, east of Mt. Pleasant, according to a report from the Iowa State Patrol.

Ahmet Mahalbasic, 58, of Waterloo was operating a westbound 2003 Volvo truck-tractor on U.S. Highway 34, when he stopped the vehicle and parked it in the right lane of the highway. He then exited the vehicle in order to look at a used vehicle for sale, which was parked near the roadway.

The second vehicle, a 1999 GMC, carrying the two victims from West Burlington was also westbound on U.S. Highway 34. The front of the GMC then struck the rear of the semi-trailer.

The two passengers in the GMC were transported by Henry County Ambulance to the Henry County Health Center. Both victims were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.

The vehicles were towed from the scene by Breuer Wrecker Service.

The Henry County Sheriff and New London Fire and Rescue assisted the Iowa State Patrol at the scene.

The names of the victims were not released as of press time.