The Iowa State Patrol has released the only publicly available information so far on a fatal truck–UTV collision that happened Sunday night in rural Calhoun County.
Troopers say the crash occurred just after 9 p.m. at Harris Avenue and 290th Street, about nine miles north of Lake City. According to the State Patrol’s report, 21‑year‑old Jaxyn Stone Blum of Auburn was driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado westbound at a high rate of speed when he struck the rear driver’s side of a 2021 Polaris side‑by‑side operated by 21‑year‑old Roger William King of Lytton.
The impact rolled the UTV several times across the intersection and into the north ditch, where it came to rest on its top in a nearby field. Nineteen‑year‑old Kyle Robert Rath of Auburn, a passenger in the UTV, was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. The accident report notes he was not wearing a seatbelt. King sustained life‑threatening injuries and was airlifted by Methodist Life Flight to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
Investigators say the collision followed a verbal altercation between the parties at a nearby residence, and that Blum was following the UTV before the crash. The report states Blum briefly entered the ditch, drove his truck out, and left the scene. He was located by law enforcement several hours later.
The State Patrol says the case remains under investigation with assistance from the Calhoun County Attorney’s Office. No additional information has been released by local agencies.
