Cottage Grove crash sends two to the hospital

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A head-on car crash near Cedar Valley Christian School sent two people to the hospital Thursday evening.

The driver of a black Kia Optima, which was carrying one passenger, lost control of the vehicle while traveling westbound around a curve on Cottage Grove Ave SE.

An eyewitness told a Linn County sheriff's deputy that the car crossed the center line and slammed into the front of a gray Hyundai van headed eastbound, before ending up in a ditch.

Authorities pulled Jacob McDonnell, 21, and Mackenzie Showalter, 15, both of Cedar Rapids, from the Optima. Both were taken to Mercy Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, the deputy said.

The driver of the van, Albert Jordan, 45, of Marion, his daughter, Tessa Jordan, 12, and Anne Visser, 13, refused treatment at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.

Police blocked Cottage Grove Ave. near the accident site, and traffic was detoured until debris could be cleaned up.

The accident is still under investigation by the Linn County Sheriff's Office.