DES MOINES — Two soldiers were injured Tuesday morning when a truck hit one of them while riding on RAGBRAI in northwest Iowa.
SFC. Shane Schreck and Maj. Dennis Murphy were riding with the Army Reserve team when the accident happened. The team had spent the night in the reserve center in Sac City and started riding early Tuesday morning to catch up to the rest of the riders.
The accident happened just as the team was coming to Lake View, around 5:30 a.m. Schreck says a truck came from behind and struck Murphy, then debris hit Schreck forcing him to ground his bike.
The Sac County Sheriff’s Office says the driver of the truck, 68-year-old Michael Judd, did not see the bikers because he was blinded by the headlights of oncoming traffic. Neither bike had front or rear headlamps.
Murphy was transferred by air ambulance to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Schreck says they were told he has a separated shoulder and a broken elbow. He is listed in good condition.
Schreck suffered only scrapes and road rash, but his bike was destroyed. He says he’s rattled by the incident and isn’t anxious to get back on a bike anytime soon.
SFC. Schreck is on leave from active duty in the Army but grew up in Des Moines. Maj. Dennis Murphy is on active duty reserve and is stationed at Ft. Des Moines and lives in Urbandale. He is originally from Nebraska.
