Charges pending against driver who fled scene of fatal crash

Published 2:44 pm Wednesday, May 11, 2011

It could be a month before charges are filed against the 31-year-old Northwood, Iowa, driver who reportedly fled the scene of a crash Tuesday that ultimately killed a 7-year-old girl walking to the school bus.

According to an Iowa State Patrol news release issued Wednesday, evidence collected regarding the incident has been sent in to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation crime lab to be processed.

Because of the case load of the state trooper technical investigator, it is estimated that results of the evidence collected will not be available for at least a month, the release stated. Any charges against the driver involved with the crash, Aaron Dwayne Gunderson, are pending the results of the processing of evidence.

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Gunderson was apprehended by Worth County Sheriff’s Office deputies a short time after the crash took place Tuesday morning before 8 a.m.

He was taken into custody for questioning and later released.

Seven-year-old Kadyn Halverson of rural Kensett was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, 4336 Raven Ave. She was walking across the road to get on a school bus that was stopped in the northbound lane with its lights flashing and stop sign out.

Halverson was struck by a pickup traveling southbound on the road. Gunderson reportedly failed to stop for the school bus, hit the child and then fled.