Man tubing on Cedar River suffers serious head wound

CEDAR RAPIDS — A man in an inflatable tube being towed behind a personal watercraft on the Cedar River suffered a serious head injury Sunday afternoon when he was thrown off the tube and struck a boat, authorities said.

The man, who authorities did not name but said appeared to be in his 40s, was taken by air ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

According to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, crews were called shortly after 2 p.m. to a segment of the river near Mohawk Park, which is at 100 J Ave. NW. Rescue crews said that, based on preliminary information, the man was tossed from the tube and struck a nearby boat that was stationary, causing the head wound.

He was transported by Area Ambulance a short distance to where crews had cleared an area at the Mohawk Park boat ramp for a Lifeguard Air Ambulance to land.

Authorities did not release the man’s condition.