OTTUMWA – Emergency personnel responded to a pedestrian accident in Ottumwa yesterday afternoon that caused one person to be airlifted to Iowa City.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, 79-year-old Richard Hough of West Burlington was driving a semi truck westbound on Highway 34 near the intersection with Church Street yesterday afternoon at around 3:13pm when his vehicle struck a pedestrian. The crash report states that the pedestrian ran in front of the semi truck “for an unknown reason.”

First responders arrived at the scene and eventually transported the pedestrian, whose identity has not yet been provided by authorities, to the University of Iowa Hospital for treatment. Highway 34 was temporarily reduced to one lane of traffic as emergency personnel responded to the incident.

Authorities say that further information regarding this accident will be released pending an ongoing investigation.