Driver impaled in Cedar Rapids crash updated to fair condition

IOWA CITY - Officials at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics say a driver impaled by a two-inch pipe in a Cedar Rapids crash this week has been upgraded to fair condition.

Hospital spokeswoman Molly Rossiter said via email Friday that Kelsey Cummings is scheduled to be released from the intensive care unit and transferred to a different unit sometime Friday.

According to Cedar Rapids police, Cummings, 27, was westbound on Zika Avenue NW near the 16th Street NW intersection when her vehicle crossed the centerline and ran into a gate early Wednesday morning. A hollow gate pipe passed through the front of her car, then through her body, according to police.

Rescuers cut the pipe on both sides of Cummings' body before transporting her to UIHC, where doctors surgically removed the pipe.

The crash remains under investigation by Cedar Rapids police.