An Orange City teen and a Westfield man have both died as a result of a crash near Maurice on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
The Iowa State Patrol reports that at about 5:50 a.m., 19-year-old Lazaro Martin Martin of Orange City was driving a 2018 Dodge westbound on Highway 10, two miles east of the intersection of Highways 10 and 75, north of Maurice. 53-year-old Jeffrey Lahr of Westfield was eastbound on 10 in a 2006 Chevy while 39-year-old Denis Mattheis of Paullina was westbound on 10 in a 2020 Kenworth.
The report says that Martin Martin attempted to pass an uninvolved vehicle and collided head-on with Lahr’s Chevy in the eastbound lanes. The rear end of Martin Martin’s Dodge struck the driver’s door of Mattheis’s truck. Martin Martin’s car became fully engulfed in flames.
Both Martin Martin and Lahr died as a result of the crash. Mattheis reported no injuries. Highway 10 was closed for over five hours.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and Orange City emergency responders assisted with the response to the crash.
