(Missouri Valley)– The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of a couple killed when a vehicle they were in plunged off a bridge on Interstate 29 late Wednesday.
They’re identified as 84-year-old Bob Allen and his wife Sari of Spirit Lake.
The Sheriff’s Office says it received a report around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday about a vehicle that had gone off a bridge on Interstate 29 and was totally engulfed in flames.
Fire and rescue crews found Bob Allen still in the vehicle; his wife had been ejected.
Both were pronounced dead upon arrival at a Missouri Valley hospital. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
Authorities say a 2003 Cadillac Bob was driving was northbound on Interstate 29. Witnesses say the vehicle veered off the road, struck a bridge railing, then plunged over the bridge…falling about 50 feet and catching fire upon impact with the ground.
Bob Allen was legendary trapshooter and a very well-known businessman. His accomplishments included two world all-around trapshooting championships; a victory with the U.S. Team in the Match of Nations in Monte Carlo in 1951; 72 state championships in 12 different states; victories in Cuba, Mexico, Portugal, France, Italy and Mozambique; and 15 victories at the annual Grand American Competition at Vandalia, Ohio.
He started Bob Allen Sportwear in Des Moines in 1946 with 40-thousand dollars he won in a shooting championship in France. The company was sold in 1995 and is now a division of Boyt Harness Company in Osceola.
Sari was well-known in the lakes area for her work in the arts. She combined that with her business savy, having started up Artsy Tartsy in Arnolds Park.
Funeral arrangements for Bob and Sari Allen are pending.
