Iowa authorities identified Carter Johnson, a 19-year-old college baseball player from South Dakota, as the only person who died in a rural Iowa bus crash that injured members of a community college team, officials said Thursday. Johnson died Wednesday after the bus overturned in a ditch alongside a highway near Twin Lakes, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, the Iowa State Patrol said.
The bus carried 33 members of Iowa Lakes Community College’s baseball team, and officials said 32 other occupants survived the crash with injuries. Iowa State Patrol Lt. Aaron Smidt said the other players were stable and recovering as of Thursday, and he said three were airlifted for treatment in the Des Moines area.
Investigators said the crash happened when the bus left the road for reasons they still do not know. “It was a pretty violent collision,” Smidt said, and he added that the bus went off the road for “unknown reasons.” The state patrol said the crash remains under investigation.
Smidt said student-athletes in a separate vehicle trailing the bus began giving Johnson CPR before first responders arrived. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troy Larson, the school’s athletic director, said Johnson was in his first year at Iowa Lakes Community College and had been listed as an outfielder on the team roster. Larson said Johnson had become part of the school community in multiple settings.
“Carter was a great teammate, a friend and a valued member of our athletic community,” Larson said. He added: “In his time here, he really impacted our campus, both within our halls, in the classrooms, as well as on the playing field.”
Larson said the team had games scheduled Thursday and Friday at North Arkansas College in Harrison, Arkansas. He said coaches and players would discuss in the weeks ahead how they will move forward with the season.
Smidt said it would take time for the injured student-athletes to recover, and he did not provide details on the injuries or their conditions.