LE CLAIRE, Iowa — "A gas leak can be very dangerous. We do not take that lightly," says LeClaire Police Chief Shane Themas.
When that initial call comes in, it's all hands on deck.
"The wind direction, the dissipation of the gas, and then of course, the experts on the scene. And that's the fire department and power company. MidAmerican helps us understand where the actual danger areas are," says Themas.
The cause of the chaos, a two-inch wide gas line was hit by a construction crew off of Stage Coach Trail in front of Stagle's grocery store.
The first ones on scene were police.
"Our main priority is to assess the situation when we get on the scene, and then we make sure the public is safe," says Themas.
Luckily on Thursday everyone was safe, until a car was rear ended by a truck just down the road.
"We base our response on what happens, and sometimes the priorities change several times throughout the incident," says Themas.
The attention turns away from the gas lead and to the crash in seconds.
"It's kind of like triage at the hospital. You're going to take care of people that are hurt or people in need so you have to hustle down that direction and assess the situation," says Iowa State Patrol Trooper Dan Loussaert.
The driver of the car was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. But the efforts at both emergencies wouldn't be possible without teamwork.
"If we don't work together, we're not going to accomplish our goal, and that's trying to keep people safe," says Loussaert.