Three Killed, Two Injured In Pella Wal-Mart Crash

An emotional crowd gathered on Friday evening at the Pella Wal-Mart to remember those lost when a pick-up truck crashed through the front doors of the store on Thursday.

Pella, Iowa – Calls for help went out just before 10am on Thursday, December 1st, as reports came in of a vehicle that had crashed into the local Wal-Mart store.

Authorities say the truck crashed into the front doors of the grocery side of the store, located at 1650 Washington St.

Sgt. Nathan Ludwig, with the Iowa State Patrol, confirmed that three individuals were killed in crash, while another two individuals were also injured.

“At this time, it doesn’t appear to be an intentional act,” said Ludwig.

Wal-Mart released a statement on Thursday, saying “We’re heartbroken by the tragic accident that happened today at our store. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families affected. We are very thankful to everyone in the community for their kindness, especially law enforcement, first responders and our associates who’ve supported us all day.”

The Iowa Department of Public Safety released the names of those deceased and injured as a result of the incident.

Among those who lost their lives was Carrie Zugg, 31, from Leighton, Iowa, and a Wal-Mart employee. Also lost was Lindsey Rietveld, 29, of Bussey, Iowa, who also worked at the Pella Wal-Mart, and finally Ruth Jean DeJong, 76, who was a shopper at the Wal-Mart store.

DeJong’s husband, Robert DeJong, 77, was injured, and his condition is unknown.

The driver of the truck, Dennis Mockenhaupt, 66, of Knoxville, Iowa was transported with injuries and has since been released.

On Saturday evening, employees of the Pella Wal-Mart and community members came together at the store to remember the lives of their family, friends and co-workers.

The group spontaneously broke out singing ‘Amazing Grace’ after some touching thoughts were shared by some of those familiar with the victims.

Alongside those who came to remember were members of the Pella Police Department. Two officers from the Pella PD were first on the scene, and quickly understood that they were facing a mass casualty situation.

Pella Police Chief Robert Bokinsky spoke about his officers and the work they did on Thursday morning.

“My first thought is, that’s what we’re paid to do; that’s what we’re trained to do. But when you come to something like this, it tells you why we do what we do. It’s not really about the police, it’s not about the first responders,” said Bokinsky. “There’s people here, they’ve lost loved ones, whether it be family or the workers.”

“One day you are a worker and you’re just buddies, and then the next day they are gone. You realise just how much you love them and how much you miss them,” added Bokinsky. “This just puts it in perspective for somebody like me, why we do what we do.”

Those attending the vigil then mentioned their appreciation for those first responders who rushed in when the call for help went out.

“You can just imagine the first two officers on scene, what they walked into,” said Bokinsky. “As their Chief of Police, yes, I am very proud of them, that they could put the emotion aside and act like a professional and get in there and do the best they could to save lives.”

Bokinsky said that services are available for his officers, which include critical incident debriefings in which first responders have an opportunity to talk through things.

The Wal-Mart store in Pella opened it’s doors once again on Sunday.

Emergency responders from Pella Ambulance, Pella Fire, Police, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Pella Rural Fire, Knoxville Fire and Rescue, the Iowa State Patrol and Marion County Emergency Management were on the scene.