POLK COUNTY, Iowa — Officials say an Altoona man died and three people suffered serious injuries in a wrong-way crash involving multiple vehicles on I-80 early Friday morning near Altoona.

The Delaware Township Fire Department said it was called to the 140.7 mile marker of eastbound I-80 around 1:38 a.m. on a report of a serious head-on vehicle crash. When units arrived, they found three vehicles with significant damage had been involved in the incident. Help was requested from other agencies for medical care and assistance with patient extraction and vehicle stabilization.

An Iowa State Patrol crash report says a Toyota pickup truck driven by 19-year-old Zachary Scothorn of Altoona was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-80 and struck an eastbound Dodge pickup truck whose driver was unable to avoid the collision. The Dodge was disabled in the roadway, and about the same time, it was hit by an eastbound Mercedes Sprinter van.

Four people were involved in the crash and DTFD said that a medical helicopter was requested due to the severity of one of the patient’s injuries. Scothorn was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three people were transported to local hospitals for treatment of serious injuries: the drivers of the other vehicles and a passenger in the Dodge. Their current conditions have not been released.

The eastbound lanes of I-80 were closed for about four hours while crews worked to investigate and clear the scene.

The Altoona Fire Department, Iowa State Patrol, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Altoona Police Department, UnityPoint LifeFlight, and members of Highway Helpers assisted at the scene.

A deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office who was on scene to provide traffic control suffered minor injuries when his patrol SUV was rear-ended around 4:39 a.m. The deputy was taken to the hospital to be checked out.

The Iowa State Patrol is continuing to investigate the cause of both crashes.