A Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a single vehicle accident over the weekend. Approximately 40 minutes after midnight, the deputy arrived on scene to the 6000 block Avenue O and found a pickup truck and house fully engulfed.
After speaking with the driver, 39-year-old Ricardo Vidal of Fort Madison, the deputy believed that he was under the influence of alcohol, however, he refused to test. A search warrant was obtained, and lab results are pending.
According to the report, the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Avenue O before it went off the right shoulder, through part of a field, cutting an Alliant Energy utility wire, and finally driving into the residence. Vidal stated that he does not know what happened and that it was a freak accident. Property damage to the house was estimated at $80,000, with an additional $1500 for the utility pole wires, and the vehicle was totaled.
Both the driver and the passenger of the pickup were transported by EMS with visible injuries.