Iowa City, IA : 4 days after deadly crash, Pella Wal-Mart on Saturday, December 3rd, 2016

The Pella Wal-Mart will reopen Sunday morning, a company spokesman said Saturday, days after a pickup truck crashed through the store's front doors, killing three people.

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck was released from the hospital.

The store's pharmacy reopened with walk-out service Saturday, said Wal-Mart company spokesman Charles Crowson. Employees met customers at the store's front doors to take their prescriptions, he said.

Crowson said the grocery department, where the pickup crashed, is included in the full reopening of the store, scheduled for 7 a.m. Sunday.

Wal-Mart employees Carrie Zugg, 31, of Leighton, and Lindsey Rietveld, 29, of Bussey; and customer Ruth Jean De Jong, 76, of Pella, were killed in the crash Thursday morning.

The driver of the pickup, Dennis Mockenhaupt, 66, of Knoxville, has been released from the hospital after being treated for injuries, Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nathan Ludwig confirmed Saturday.

Mockenhaupt was driving a Ford F-150 pickup that crashed through the front doors of the Wal-Mart before coming to a stop near a refrigerator in the produce department.

The crash appears unintentional, Ludwig said. Further details on what led to the crash have not yet been released, pending an ongoing investigation. He said no charges have been filed.

Witnesses have said it appeared the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash.

De Jong's husband, Robert De Jong, 77, was also injured in the crash. A family member told the Register on Friday that Robert De Jong was still hospitalized and was expected to have surgery on his ankle in the coming days.

Ludwig did not have further information on Mockenhaupt's injuries.

Family members of Mockenhaupt declined to comment on the crash when reached by phone Saturday. A man who answered the door at his home Friday also declined to speak to a reporter.

Mockenhaupt is "a nice guy," neighbor David McKinney said on Saturday, though he said he didn't know him well. "We're nice neighbors," he said.

The victims of the crash were remembered by friends, family and community members at a vigil Friday evening. Several Wal-Mart employees attended the vigil. Friends described all three victims as kind and caring people.

Funeral arrangements for De Jong were announced Saturday. She will be laid to rest Dec. 10 after a funeral at Ebenezer Reformed Church in Leighton, according to her obituary.

Funeral arrangements for other victims of the crash were still pending Saturday afternoon.

Source :
4 days after deadly crash, Pella Wal-Mart to reopen Sunday