Three teens hurt in crash near Central City

CENTRAL CITY – Three teenagers were hurt when the car they were in rolled near Central City late Monday.

Authorities responded around 8:25 p.m. to Red School Road, about one mile north of Valley Farm Road. Nicholas L. Falcon, 16, of Central City, was driving southbound when he lost control just before the railroad tracks, according to the Linn County Sheriff's Office.

The car came to rest on its top along the railroad, about 50 yards east of Red School Road.

A passenger in the car, Thomas R. Alatalo, 15, of Central City, was thrown from the vehicle. He was in the back seat and was not wearing a seat belt, authorities said.

Front-seat passenger Eric D. Kula, 17, of Anamosa, was also hurt in the wreck.

Alatalo was flown by a Lifeguard helicopter to Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. Falcon and Kula were taken by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, authorities said.

An investigation is continuing.