SCOTT COUNTY, Iowa – The Scott County community is in mourning this week following the tragic death of Bridget Hillyer, a dedicated employee of the Scott County Secondary Roads Department, who lost her life in a rollover crash while performing her duties on a rural roadway. Hillyer, whose sudden and heartbreaking passing occurred on June 1, 2026, has left an immeasurable void in the hearts of her family, her friends, her coworkers, and the countless residents whose lives she touched through her years of public service.
The fatal incident unfolded on the morning of June 1 along New Liberty Road, a rural two-lane highway located just outside the small unincorporated community of Maysville in northern Scott County. According to preliminary reports from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol, Hillyer was operating a county-owned dump truck hauling a load of gravel as part of the Secondary Roads Department’s summer road maintenance program. For reasons that remain under active investigation, the vehicle left the roadway, traveled into an adjacent ditch, and rolled over.
Despite the rapid response of emergency personnel — including deputies, paramedics, and volunteer firefighters from the Maysville and Long Grove fire departments — Hillyer sustained critical injuries. She was transported by ambulance to Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, where medical teams worked tirelessly to save her. Tragically, she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased later that same day.
The loss of Bridget Hillyer has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of Scott County, where she was not only a public servant but also a neighbor, a friend, and a family member to many. As investigators work to determine the exact circumstances that led to the crash, those who knew her have chosen to focus not on the tragedy of her death, but on the remarkable life she lived and the profound impact she had on everyone around her.
A Life of Service: Who Was Bridget Hillyer?
For those who had the privilege of knowing her, Bridget Hillyer was far more than an employee of the Scott County Secondary Roads Department. She was a woman of quiet strength, relentless work ethic, and genuine kindness. Born and raised in eastern Iowa, Bridget was a lifelong resident of Scott County, having grown up in the rural areas between Maysville and Eldridge. She was a 2006 graduate of North Scott High School, where teachers remembered her as a determined student who was always willing to lend a hand.
After high school, Bridget pursued a career in public works, a field that remains heavily male-dominated. She completed technical training in heavy equipment operation at Eastern Iowa Community College and joined the Scott County Secondary Roads Department in 2012. Over the next 14 years, she became known as one of the hardest-working and most reliable members of the team.
“Bridget never complained,” said her supervisor, Tom Ellison, who spoke with reporters on the condition that his words convey the depth of the department’s grief. “She would show up in the worst weather — snowstorms, ice storms, hundred-degree heat — and she would just get the job done. She drove a dump truck, a plow, a grader. She could fix a hydraulic line faster than most mechanics. She was an absolute gem, and we are absolutely devastated.”
Bridget’s role with the Secondary Roads Department involved maintaining over 600 miles of rural roads in Scott County — grading gravel roads, filling potholes, clearing snow and ice in winter, and hauling loads of gravel and asphalt to work sites. It was physically demanding, often dangerous work, and Bridget approached it with a smile and a sense of pride.
“She loved her job,” said her younger sister, Megan Hillyer, fighting back tears during an interview outside the family’s home in rural Maysville. “She used to say, ‘I keep the county running. Without us, nobody would get to work or school.’ She was proud of that. We were proud of her, too.”
The Crash: What Happened on New Liberty Road?
According to the Iowa State Patrol crash report, the incident occurred at approximately 9:15 a.m. on June 1, on a straight but uneven stretch of New Liberty Road approximately one mile east of Maysville. The road is a typical rural Iowa thoroughfare — two lanes, gravel shoulders, and drainage ditches on either side. At the time of the crash, weather conditions were clear and dry, with good visibility.
Preliminary findings suggest that the county-owned dump truck — a 2019 International HV507 — was traveling eastbound, hauling a full load of crushed gravel destined for a road maintenance project near the intersection of New Liberty Road and 190th Avenue. For reasons that remain unclear, the vehicle drifted onto the soft shoulder, causing the driver’s side wheels to drop off the roadway. When Bridget attempted to steer back onto the pavement, the truck’s heavy load shifted, causing the vehicle to lose balance and roll into the north ditch.
The truck came to rest on its passenger side, with the cab partially crushed. First responders arriving on scene found Bridget still strapped into her seatbelt but unconscious and suffering from severe trauma. She was extricated from the wreckage by firefighters using hydraulic rescue tools — commonly known as the “Jaws of Life” — and airlifted by helicopter to Genesis Medical Center in Davenport. However, despite all efforts, she died from her injuries approximately two hours after the crash.
Scott County Coroner Brian Spence confirmed that an autopsy was performed on June 2, with preliminary findings indicating that Bridget died from blunt force injuries to the head and chest. Toxicology results are pending and could take several weeks. The official manner of death has been ruled accidental pending further investigation.
Investigation Underway
The Iowa State Patrol has taken the lead on the crash investigation, with assistance from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Department of Transportation. Investigators spent more than six hours at the scene on June 1, documenting tire marks, measuring the depth of the shoulder, photographing the truck’s resting position, and interviewing witnesses who arrived at the scene shortly after the crash.
“We are looking at every possible contributing factor,” said Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Dana Luebke during a press briefing on June 2. “That includes vehicle condition, road conditions, driver fatigue, medical events, speed, load distribution, and potential mechanical failure. We have not ruled anything out, and we will not speculate until our investigation is complete.”
A mechanical inspection of the dump truck has been ordered, with investigators examining the brakes, steering system, tires, and suspension. The truck was impounded and transported to a secure facility in Davenport for forensic analysis. Additionally, the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified, given that the crash occurred while Bridget was performing work-related duties, though a full OSHA investigation has not yet been launched.
The Scott County Secondary Roads Department has also launched its own internal review of safety protocols, including driver training procedures, vehicle maintenance schedules, and road shoulder conditions along New Liberty Road.
“We owe it to Bridget and her family to find out what went wrong,” said Scott County Administrator Mahesh Sharma. “She gave her life serving this county. The least we can do is learn from this tragedy and prevent it from ever happening again.”
A Community in Mourning
The news of Bridget Hillyer’s death spread quickly through the small communities of Maysville, Eldridge, Long Grove, and beyond. By Tuesday morning, a makeshift memorial had appeared at the crash site on New Liberty Road — flowers, handwritten notes, a hard hat, and a small American flag placed at the base of a utility pole. Passing motorists slowed, many pausing to pay their respects.
The Scott County Secondary Roads Department has closed its main garage for the remainder of the week, with flags flown at half-staff. Crew members who worked alongside Bridget have been offered grief counseling, and the county has arranged for a critical incident stress debriefing for all first responders who worked the crash scene.
“Bridget was family to us,” said coworker Darrin Hughes, who had worked with Bridget for over a decade. “We spent more time with her than we did with our own families during snowplow season. She was tough but fair. She could give you grief and then make you laugh five minutes later. The garage will never be the same without her.”
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Friday, June 5, at 7 p.m. at the Maysville Community Center, organized by the Maysville Volunteer Fire Department and the Scott County Public Works family. Attendees are asked to bring candles and photographs of Bridget to share. A separate memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 6, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Maysville, with burial to follow at the Maysville Cemetery.
Bridget’s Legacy: Service, Kindness, and Dedication
While the investigation into the crash continues, those who loved Bridget Hillyer are choosing to remember her not for the tragedy of her death, but for the extraordinary way she lived her life. Friends describe a woman who was fiercely loyal, generous to a fault, and deeply committed to her family and her community.
Bridget was an avid outdoorswoman who spent her free time fishing on the Mississippi River, hiking at Pike Run State Preserve, and training her two rescue dogs, a Labrador mix named Rusty and a border collie named Sadie. She was also a volunteer with the Maysville 4-H Club, where she taught young people about agricultural safety and heavy equipment operation — skills she believed were essential for the next generation of rural Iowans.
“She never had children of her own, but she treated every kid in that 4-H club like they were hers,” said family friend and neighbor Karen Whitaker. “She would spend hours teaching a 14-year-old how to back up a tractor safely. She said if she could save one kid from getting hurt on a farm, all that time was worth it.”
Bridget is survived by her parents, Donald and Patricia Hillyer of Maysville; her younger sister, Megan Hillyer of Eldridge; her older brother, James Hillyer of Bettendorf; three nieces and two nephews; and countless friends, coworkers, and neighbors who considered her family.
A GoFundMe campaign established by the Hillyer family — titled “Honoring Bridget Hillyer’s Legacy” — has already raised more than $25,000 to cover funeral expenses, support her parents, and establish a scholarship in Bridget’s name for young women pursuing careers in public works or heavy equipment operation.
“Bridget broke barriers in a male-dominated field,” the campaign page reads. “She proved that women can operate a dump truck or a snowplow just as well as any man. We want to honor her memory by helping the next generation of young women follow in her footsteps.”
Rural Road Safety and Public Works Hazards
The death of Bridget Hillyer highlights the often-overlooked dangers faced by public works employees, particularly those who operate heavy vehicles on rural roads. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, highway maintenance workers — including dump truck operators — have one of the highest fatality rates of any civilian occupation, with an average of 25 deaths per 100,000 workers annually.
In Iowa specifically, the Iowa Department of Transportation reports that there were 17 on-the-job fatalities among public works and road maintenance employees between 2020 and 2025, with rollover crashes being a leading cause. Soft shoulders, uneven road surfaces, and shifting loads are frequent contributing factors.
“This is a wake-up call for every county in Iowa,” said Dave Paulson, executive director of the Iowa County Engineers Association. “Our secondary roads employees go out every day in all kinds of weather to keep the public safe. But we need to do a better job keeping them safe, too. Bridget’s death should not be in vain.”
Conclusion: Gone Too Soon, Never Forgotten
As the sun sets over the cornfields of Scott County, the loss of Bridget Hillyer remains raw and unfathomable. She was only 38 years old — a woman in the prime of her life, with decades of service still ahead of her. She had plans to take her parents on a trip to the Boundary Waters next summer. She had talked about adopting a third rescue dog. She had dreams and a future, and all of it was taken away in a single, terrible moment on a road she had driven a hundred times before.
Her mother, Patricia Hillyer, offered a final, heartbreaking message: “Bridget loved Scott County. She loved her job. She loved the people she worked with and the people she served. She would want everyone to know that she died doing what she loved. But she would also want everyone to be careful out there — on the roads, in the trucks, on the job. One mistake, one bad second, and your whole life is over. Please, for the sake of the people who love you, be careful.”
The investigation continues. The funerals will be held. But for the Hillyer family — and for the entire Scott County community — the healing will take a lifetime.
Rest in peace, Bridget Hillyer. 1988 – June 1, 2026. A daughter, a sister, a friend, a public servant. Gone too soon. Never forgotten. Forever cherished.
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