UPDATE 1/26/26: This article has been updated with the names of the people involved in the incident.
A fatal accident occurred west of Fairfield on Saturday evening, claiming the life of a teenage girl and injuring two other individuals. The Iowa State Patrol reports that Emmelia Miller, 18, of Fairfield was driving a 2009 Lexus E350 northbound in the 2100 block of Hemlock Avenue around 10:18 p.m. near Cedar Creek when she lost control of the vehicle due to hazardous weather conditions.
A 2025 Dodge truck operated by 20-year-old Morgan Anderson of Fairfield then collided with the side of Miller’s car. Miller, who was not wearing a seat belt at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two passengers—25-year-old James Lyman of Fairfield and 24-year-old Ashlyn Hotchkiss of Urbana, Iowa—sustained injuries in the crash. According to the State Patrol, Hotchkiss was also not wearing a seat belt and was transported by Jefferson County Ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospital for treatment. Lyman did not require hospital transport at that current time. Anderson was not listed with an injury. The Iowa State Patrol report does not detail what passengers were in what vehicles.
The incident remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol. Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Ambulance, Fairfield Police and Fire departments, and the Libertyville Fire Department.
