Iowa State Trooper Ted Benda died after swerving to avoid a deer while speeding to respond to a call

Staff and Associated Press
·3 min read
Iowa State Trooper Theodore "Ted" Benda died Oct. 20, 2021, from injuries he suffered in a single-vehicle crash Oct. 14 in Allamakee County.

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ted Benda died in a crash in October after he swerved to avoid a deer while speeding to respond to a call, the patrol said Friday.

Benda, 37, of rural Decorah, crashed Oct. 14 on Highway 51 north of Postville. After he swerved to avoid the deer, his vehicle lost traction, went into a ditch, hit an embankment and rolled, Sgt. Alex Dinkla said in an email to The Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Benda was critically injured in the crash and airlifted to Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He died there on Oct. 19.

Clayton County officials have not answered questions about the call Benda was responding to when he crashed, or how fast he was driving. An investigation is ongoing to determine an estimated speed.

Benda began his career with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in 2005, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. There, he was assigned to the Special Enforcement Operations Bureau in Marquette.

He transferred to the Iowa State Patrol in 2016 and most recently served in District 10, which is based out of Oelwein.

Benda was a 2002 graduate of Waukon High School, according to The Standard newspaper in Waukon. He and his wife, Holly Benda, have four daughters, the youngest of whom was born in September.

Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan K. Bayens commended Holly Benda during her husband's funeral for her “remarkable amount of courage and grace," and promised that she and their four daughters have his department’s full love and support.

"We love you and we will continue to walk with you in the weeks and days and years to come because you are our family," Bayens said.

More: Fallen Iowa State Trooper Ted Benda's service continues after death through organ donation

“He was a dedicated trooper and hard charger who fully embraced this call to protect the community," Bayens said at the service. "... He placed his family first above all things, an act of sacrificial love. He had a heart of gold when it came to lending a hand to his friends and neighbors, a sacrificial love. He cherished his country and his community, and he committed his life to keeping it safe, a sacrificial love."

Benda was the 12th trooper in Iowa State Patrol history to be killed in the line of duty and the second in six months, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith was fatally shot during a Grundy Center standoff in April.

Through Nov. 12, 301 people have died in crashes this year on Iowa roads, 21 more than at the same time last year, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

More than 7,000 crashes in 2020 were involved with animals, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. According to a Facebook post by the DOT, 2020 saw the following vehicle-animal crash statistics in 2020:

  • 7,276 crashes with animals

  • 4 fatalities

  • 25 major injuries

  • 146 minor injuries

Through Nov. 5 this year there were 5,187 reported crashes in Iowa where a driver hit an animal, according to the Iowa DOT. Four people were killed and 31 were seriously injured in those crashes.

The Iowa DOT offered the following tips to drivers who encounter an animal on the road:

  • Hold on to the steering wheel.

  • Stay in your lane.

  • Don’t swerve. Swerving may send your vehicle into oncoming traffic or cause you to crash in the ditch.

  • Brake firmly.

  • Bring your vehicle to a controlled stop.

And if a collision with an animal happens:

  • Pull off the road. Turn on your emergency flashers and be cautious of other traffic.

  • Stay in your vehicle and call 911 for assistance.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa trooper Ted Benda died in crash while speeding to answer call