Newell man sues Storm Lake bar after alleged drunk-driving crash

Tracy Carlson left Puff’s visibly intoxicated, then hit Jeff Domino’s motorcycle in a Ford Bronco on East Lakeshore Drive. Domino, a Newell man, is asking a civil court to make Puff’s answer for the crash that left him with life-changing injuries.

Domino’s injuries were extensive: a subdural hemorrhage, fractures in his scapula, pelvis, skull and face, broken ribs, abrasions and a traumatic brain injury. The suit seeks more than $250,000 in non-economic damages through Puff’s dram shop carrier.

The lawsuit says Carlson had been drinking at Puff’s and was overserved to the point of intoxication, or served after she was already intoxicated. Iowa law puts that kind of claim through the state’s dram shop statute, Iowa Code section 123.92, along with the related insurance-evaluation provision in section 505.33. Iowa Supreme Court precedent treats that statute as the main civil-liability path against alcohol vendors in the state.

The crash happened in the 1500 block of Lakeshore Drive about 6:30 p.m. on July 4, 2024. Storm Lake police booked Carlson, who was 56 at the time, into the Buena Vista County Jail that day on charges of operating while intoxicated, improper lane change and failure to yield to a passing vehicle. Buena Vista County prosecutors later upgraded the case on July 18, 2024, filing felony serious injury by vehicle and misdemeanor leaving the scene of an injury accident resulting in serious injury.

Carlson’s criminal case is still moving, with a jury trial scheduled for July 14. The defense and prosecution are still lining up witnesses, including records testimony for the state.