The Des Moines Police Department’s Traffic Unit is investigating a fatal crash that occurred on the westbound lanes of Highway 5 near Southwest Ninth Street.

According to Sgt. Paul Parizek, the incident was reported shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 28, when patrol officers and Des Moines Fire Department rescue personnel responded to a call about a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. First responders found an adult male pedestrian deceased at the scene. The driver of the vehicle involved, also an adult male, was not injured.

This adds to the series of pedestrian fatalities and injuries in Des Moines throughout the year, including a deadly hit-and-run in June near Merle Hay Road and Hickman Road and a September 2025 accident where a pedestrian was killed in a motorcycle vs. pedestrian accid

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