Lang
7/6/21
One person was killed and two others injured in a Monday afternoon accident on an Interstate 380 off-ramp.
According to Cedar Rapids Police, a Chevy Trailblazer was taking the southbound I-380 off-ramp to Highway 30 just before 3:30pm when it rolled over several times. The driver and front seat passenger were ejected from the vehicle, while a third victim was found seat belted in the rear passenger compartment.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as 29-year-old Charles Yochem, was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead by UIHC staff at 5:50 Tuesday morning.
49-year-old Deanna Fugate was the front-seat passenger and was transported to the UIHC with serious injuries. The rear passenger, 18-year-old Jasmine Keister, was treated for minor injuries and released at UnityPoint-St. Luke’s Hospital.
All three victims are from La Porte City.
The preliminary accident investigation indicates that Yochem was traveling in the off-ramp lane for Highway 30 trying to merge back onto I-380 when he made an evasive correction to avoid another vehicle, lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle rolled several times.