Southeast Iowa man killed in violent rollover crash

UNIONVILLE, Iowa — A violent rollover crash on Tuesday left a southeast Iowa man dead.

The crash happened at approximately 11:45 a.m. near the intersection of South Street (Highway T61) and Oak Street in Unionville, Iowa.

The Appanoose County Sheriff's Office identifies the victim as Craig Bankson, 65, of Rural Unionville, Iowa.

Investigators said that when emergency responders arrived, Bankson's SUV was on its side in the roadway.

Bankson had been ejected from the vehicle, and his body was in the middle of the street.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff's office said it appears Bankson was northbound on Highway T61 when he lost control of his vehicle.

The SUV ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a culvert, causing the vehicle to overturn and roll multiple times.

The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office with help from the Appanoose County medical examiner and the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office.

A section of Highway T61 in Unionville was closed for over three hours. Traffic was rerouted around the crash scene onto side streets, which caused some problems for tractor-trailers.