Bus carrying Iowa community college baseball team crashes, killing 19-year-old player: Authorities
A charter bus carrying members of a community college baseball team crashed in Iowa on Wednesday, killing a 19-year-old freshman player and injuring dozens, authorities said.
The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. local time on Iowa Highway 4 near Twin Lakes in Calhoun County, authorities said.
An Iowa Lakes Community College charter bus "went off the roadway and overturned in the ditch," Iowa State Patrol said in a statement.
There has been one confirmed fatality, Iowa State Patrol said. Nineteen-year-old Carter Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
There were 33 people on the bus, which was the only vehicle involved, according to Iowa State Trooper Paul Gardner.
All other occupants on the bus sustained minor to serious injuries, according to Gardner.
Student athletes who had been traveling in a vehicle behind the bus were performing CPR when first responders arrived, according to Iowa State Patrol Lt. Aaron Smidt, who spoke at a press briefing on Thursday.
Life Flight helicopters and ambulances transported injured occupants to various area hospitals, authorities said. Several remain hospitalized in stable condition, authorities said Thursday.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Smidt noted during a press briefing on Thursday that the road where the crash occurred includes a sharp curve and has seen four fatalities in the past decade.
Iowa Lakes Community College said members of its baseball team were involved in the crash.
"This has been an incredibly difficult time for our college community. Our students, faculty, staff and families have been deeply affected," Iowa Lakes Community College President Scott Stokes said during Thursday's press briefing. "Our immediate priority has been the safety and well-being of our students."
"We have been in close communication with families and are providing counseling and academic support to ensure they have the care and support that they need," he added.
Johnson, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was a freshman at Iowa Lakes who played outfield, according to his team bio.
The Iowa Lakes baseball team was traveling to Arkansas to play North Arkansas College in Harrison this week.
"We ask our entire community to please lift up everyone involved, their families, and the entire Iowa Lakes community in prayer during this difficult time," the North Arkansas College Pioneer Athletics said in a statement on social media.
