Motorcyclist involved in I-380 crash dies

A motorcyclist who was involved in a crash on Interstate 380 in Cedar Rapids last week has died in the hospital from injuries related to the crash.

Ramius Hardiman, 30, of Cedar Rapids, was injured on Tuesday, Aug. 22 when he rear-ended an SUV on I-380. Cedar Rapids police told The Gazette last week that Hardiman’s injuries were not life-threatening, but a news release issued by the department Monday morning states that the motorcyclist has now died.

Hardiman was reportedly speeding for several miles before colliding with the SUV. The occupants of the SUV were not injured.

The interstate was closed for more than two hours Tuesday after the crash, which happened just before 5 p.m., causing a large backup of traffic.

Hardiman was arrested in 2010, when he was 17, on charges of vehicular homicide after a crash on Nov. 8, 2010 that killed 17-year-old Jose Mendoza. The counts alleged Hardiman was operating a vehicle, in which Mendoza was a passenger, under the influence of alcohol and that he was driving recklessly when the car rolled and hit a utility pole in the 3300 block of Cottage Grove Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and was given a suspended sentence and probation. He later escaped from a halfway house and was sentenced to eight additional months to be served consecutively to his federal conviction of felon in possession of a firearm. He was released from prison in June, according to federal court records.

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