POLICE: Truck driver arrested for fatally hitting tow truck driver says he thought he hit a “bird”

Truck driver arrested for fatally hitting tow truck driver while intoxicated in Iowa on Sunday night. 

The incident occurred on November 12th at 10:10 p.m. near the 130 mile marker on Interstate 80 in Urbandale, Iowa. 

According to WHO 13 News, tow truck driver Joshua Villa was on the right shoulder of I-80 preparing to tow a vehicle when a westbound semi truck driven by 54-year-old Dmytro Prysich failed to stay in his lane or move over for the tow truck. The rig left the roadway and collided with Villa and the tow truck without slowing down and drove away from the scene. 

Villa was pronounced dead at the scene, and Prysich was eventually pulled over by Clive POlice Officers. Prysich told those officers that he thought he had hit a “bird.” Officers smelled alcohol coming from Prysich and performed a field sobriety test, which he failed. 

Prysich was booked into the Polk County Jail just after 3 a.m.  on charges of homicide by vehicle-OWI, leaving the scene of a deadly accident, and failure to change lane upon approach to emergency stationary vehicles resulting in death. He is being held on $500,000 cash bond for the homicide by vehicle charge.