Fairfield Police and the Iowa State Patrol are investigating a fatal crash that happened late Saturday night in Jefferson County.
Authorities say Emmelia Miller, 17, of Fairfield was driving north on Hemlock Avenue around 10:15 p.m. when she lost control of her 2009 Lexus E350 in the 2100 Block of Hemlock Avenue and Cedar Creek. Her car was struck by a 2025 Dodge Truck driven by Morgan Anderson, 20, of Fairfield. Officials say weather conditions were a factor in the crash.
Miller was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other people were injured. James Lyman, 25, was treated at the scene and did not require transport. And Ashlyn Hotchkiss, 24, of Urbana, Iowa was taken by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; Hotchkiss was also not wearing her seatbelt.
The crash remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol. Iowa State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Ambulance, Fairfield Fire Department and the Libertyville Fire Department.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, 17 people have died on Iowa roadways so far in 2026. That number is eight more than at this time last year and is the highest traffic fatality count for this point in the year in the last five years.