Death toll from Saturday crashes rises to eight in Tennessee

The death toll from a series of unrelated crashes climbed to eight Monday when a man who was thrown from his motorcycle died in a hospital.Among those killed as a result of crashes Saturday on Iowa highways were a Cedar Rapids man, his 3-year-old daughter and his girlfriend; a retired Des Moines couple; two people from the Iowa City suburb of North Liberty, and a Tennessee man.Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Patrol said they couldn’t remember the last time eight or more people died from traffic crashes in a single day.Despite the deadliest single day in recent memory, 2013 has been a relatively safe year on Iowa highways. So far this year, 182 traffic fatalities have been reported — fewer than each of the previous six years through the same date.From 2007 to 2012, Iowa saw an average of 220 traffic deaths from Jan. 1 to Aug. 12, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.