Three-vehicle accident on Highway 9 Tuesday causes over $17,000 in damages

Decorah Police were called to Highway 9 around 10:30 Tuesday morning following a three vehicle crash.

Police say 71-year-old Donald Wenthold of Decorah attempted to make a left turn into the Gundersen Decorah Clinic parking lot off Highway 9, but turned in front of a vehicle driven by 57-year-old Dale Putnam of Decorah, damaging both vehicles.  Wenthold,s truck then was pushed into a truck being driven by 29-year-old Christopher Fee of Waukon as Fee was stopped at the parking lot exit, waiting to pull onto Highway 9/

Wenthold was ticketed for failure to yield on a left turn.  None of the drivers were injured, although eyewitnesses say emergency workers had to extract Putnam from his vehicle.

In another accident on Highway 9 earlier Tuesday, 47-year-old Irene Bjergum of Decorah was ticketed for failure to stopafter her van struck the rear of a car driven by 33-year-old Elisha Forde of Decorah as the two were on Old Stage Road at the HIghway 9 intersection.  The accident caused $3,200 in damages.