An Iowa teen’s life was cut short Saturday following a sledding accident that occurred outside his home, The Gazette reported.
13-year-old Adam McWherter succumbed to injuries he sustained in a crash that happened 10 days earlier, according to a report by The Gazette. McWherter was sledding with a friend at his residence Jan. 10 when the incident happened. During their play, he sped down the driveway and inadvertently slid into the road. He was then struck by a 2008 GMC Envoy, according to The Gazette.
His battle with his injuries ended at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, as stated in an obituary. His memory will be honored in a celebration at a local Christian church Thursday.
Sledding crash turns fatal for Anamosa teen https://t.co/EGg5nt2Lte
— The Gazette (@gazettedotcom) January 23, 2024
The Iowa State Patrol is working on the case, which is still under investigation. No charges have been filed against anyone involved in the incident, The Gazette reported. Troopers have inspected the SUV involved and conducted interviews. (RELATED: Shocking, Heroic Details Emerge About Jeremy Renner Accident That Left Him Hospitalized)
The driver of the GMC Envoy reported to authorities that McWherter was not visible until moments before the collision, according to The Gazette. Despite immediately braking when spotting the boy, the driver was reportedly unable to stop in time. To confirm the driver’s story, a Jones County sheriff’s deputy reenacted the sled ride while a state trooper recorded from a patrol vehicle, according to an arrest affidavit.
“The top of the deputy’s shoulders and head are the only things visible until he reached almost the end of the driveway. My point of view, 5.2 feet off the ground, was approximately 6 inches higher than the view of (the driver), 4.7 feet off the ground, likely would have been, as the pickup sat higher off the ground than the Envoy,” the search warrant affidavit reads, according to The Gazette.