BLAIRSBURG — One person was killed and two others were injured in a multi-vehicle pileup on U.S. Highway 69 in Hamilton County Friday morning.

The crash involved three vehicles, including a semi-trailer carrying anhydrous ammonia. None of the hazardous chemical leaked because of the crash. A fourth vehicle ended up in a roadside ditch.

The Iowa State Patrol identified the dead man as Cole Lantz, 27, of Williams.

The injured people were identified as Carlos Vielman Castillo, 51, of Postville, and Jilmer Vielman Monroy, 28, of Belmond. Both of them were taken to Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City.

The crash happened at 6:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 69 near 180th Street.

Just before the crash, three vehicles were traveling in a line northbound on the highway, Lt. Aaron Smidt of the State Patrol said.

Lantz was driving the second vehicle in that line. He moved his 2021 Jeep Renegade into the southbound lane in an attempt to pass the first vehicle in the line, the State Patrol reported. His vehicle then collided head-on with a southbound 2011 Ram 2500 pickup operated by Castillo, troopers said. Monroy was a passenger in the pickup.

Smidt said the first vehicle in that initial line of vehicles continued northbound, and its driver was apparently unaware that there had been a crash.

The driver of the third vehicle took evasive action to avoid the crash, Smidt said. That vehicle ended up in the roadside ditch, but the driver was unhurt, he said.

The truck carrying anhydrous ammonia was a southbound 2024 Freightliner. Its driver, Justin Norton, 32, of Belmond, swerved to the center of the highway to avoid the crash, the State Patrol reported. Smidt said the front passenger side of the truck did hit the wrecked pickup. He said the truck was damaged, but Norton was unhurt and no anhydrous ammonia escaped.