WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — West Des Moines police and several other agencies responded to a crash between a van and a semi-truck Wednesday afternoon.
Police responded to reports of a crash on S. 88th Street between E.P True Parkway and Cody Drive at around 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to Sgt. Adam Porath of West Des Moines police.
The first officer arrived at the scene in just four minutes and proceeded to call for more services.
"Because of the impact between the van and the semi, the semi's fuel tank ruptured which spilled diesel fuel into the street... whenever we have a fuel leak, we have to call in a lot of people," Porath said.
Initial investigations indicate the semi was driving south on S. 88th Street when the van, which was traveling north, veered into the semi's lane, causing a head-on collision.
The van was carrying 10 day care children at the time of the crash. Two people, the driver and a passenger, were in the semi. Both drivers and seven kids were taken to the hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries.
Porath described the van driver as "distracted", but said cell phone use has been ruled out.
Police said when the crash involved multiple kids, a semi-truck and a gas leak, they knew it had to be all hands-on deck.
"When you do have this many patients or the severity of the accident like this, they have to get all the services there as quickly as possible so they can take immediate action and mitigate the situation from becoming worse," Porath said.
Neighbors around the crash said they heard a loud bang and then sirens, with first responders lining the street.
"It's very scary and I was very surprised, but again, just hope everyone's okay," said Josie Shirbroun, a neighbor near the crash.
Another neighbor told Local 5 the road used to be gravel, but when it turned to pavement speeding became more common.
"I feel like this road is just really, it's busy, there is quite a bit of traffic, but I just I would never expect that," said Briana Williams, a neighbor near the crash.
This is a breaking news story. Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.