A Churdan woman died following a vehicle crash with law enforcement Wednesday afternoon in Woodbury County.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, at 4:32pm a state trooper was in pursuit of a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser that was driven by 40-year-old Melissa Thede of Churdan for speeding into Sioux City limits. The state patrol crash report shows that Thede continued to drive erratically and at high rates of speed until the pursuit was canceled by the state patrol supervisor. 

Thede’s vehicle then rear-ended a 2012 Dodge Ram truck that was driven by 29-year-old Hector Collazo of Sioux City. The PT Cruiser rolled and struck a 2018 Ford Edge that was driven by 36-year-old Traci Kellen of Sioux City. Thede was pronounced dead at the scene and Collazo was transported by Sioux City Fire EMS to St. Luke’s Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. 

The collisions caused disabling damage to the Dodge Ram and Ford Edge, and the PT Cruiser was totaled. The report shows that Thede wasn’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and Collazo was.