WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (THECOUNT) — A West Des Moines man is dead after his motorcycle collided with a West Des Moines Community Schools bus Tuesday afternoon on EP True Parkway, according to the West Des Moines Police Department. Brian Franklin was transported to the hospital following the crash and was later pronounced dead. One of the six occupants aboard the school bus sustained injuries.
Franklin was 51 years old.
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According to West Des Moines police, the crash occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. in the 300 block of EP True Parkway. Emergency responders treated Franklin at the scene before transporting him to the hospital, where he died. Franklin was a resident of West Des Moines. The crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been announced.
Police said one of the six people aboard the West Des Moines Community Schools bus was injured. Additional details on the injured party’s condition have not been released. The make and model of Franklin’s motorcycle have not been disclosed by authorities.
EP True Parkway is a north-south corridor in the western portion of West Des Moines, running through a mix of residential developments, apartment communities, and commercial properties. The street is named for Emory Philip True, a longtime West Des Moines civic figure. The 300 block of EP True Parkway sits in the western section of the city near the Interstate 35 corridor, an area that has seen significant residential and commercial growth in recent decades.
West Des Moines is the second most populous city in the Des Moines metropolitan area, with a population of approximately 68,700 as of the 2020 census. The city spans portions of Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties in central Iowa and is located immediately west of the city of Des Moines. It is the sixth most populous city in Iowa overall. Major employers based in or near the city include Wells Fargo, Microsoft, and Hy-Vee. The city’s Historic Valley Junction district and Jordan Creek Town Center — Iowa’s largest shopping complex — anchor its commercial identity.
The West Des Moines Community School District operates the city’s public schools, including Valley High School and Valley Southwoods Freshman High School. The district serves students across West Des Moines and portions of neighboring communities including Clive, Urbandale, and Windsor Heights. School bus operations are a routine part of district logistics, transporting students to and from schools throughout the afternoon hours when the crash occurred.
The Des Moines metropolitan area, which encompasses Polk County and surrounding counties, had a population of approximately 700,000 as of the 2020 census, making it the largest metropolitan area in Iowa. The region is served by multiple law enforcement agencies, with the West Des Moines Police Department handling incidents within city limits.
Motorcycle crashes involving larger vehicles such as buses, trucks, and SUVs are among the most severe in terms of injury outcomes, due to the significant size and weight disparity between the vehicles. The West Des Moines Police Department has not released information on the circumstances leading to the collision, the direction of travel of either vehicle, or whether speed or other factors are under review.
Iowa consistently ranks among the states with higher per-capita traffic fatality rates on rural and suburban roadways, and the Des Moines metro area sees a notable number of motorcycle fatalities each year. The West Des Moines area near EP True Parkway and the Interstate 35 corridor is among the more heavily trafficked zones in the city, with afternoon traffic volumes peaking during the school dismissal hours when the crash involving Franklin occurred.
The approximate location of the crash in the 300 block of EP True Parkway in West Des Moines can be viewed on Google Maps (approximate).
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