The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is cautioning snowmobilers about the dangers of ice heaves on Iowa’s waterways after a Story City man was seriously injured in an accident late last week. Conservation officers responded to the crash at approximately 1:45 p.m. Friday, about four miles south of Lehigh on the Des Moines River. They believe that 50-year-old Timothy Gerdes was traveling at about 60 to 65 miles per hour on the river when he hit a more than three-foot high ice heave that was hidden by snowfall. Gerdes’ snowmobile went airborne and he was ejected. He was transported to a Fort Dodge hospital and then to one in Des Moines for treatment of spinal injuries. Gerdes was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
