Iowa solider weeks from retirement hit by car, police quiet on details

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa National Guard soldier weeks from retirement is now fighting for his life after being hit by a car last week but Iowa City Police have refused to release many details on what happened.

The Iowa National Guard confirmed SFC Corey Hite was hit by a car on May 22nd in Iowa City as he was out for a jog. A GoFundMe for his family says he suffered life-threatening injuries, including brain swelling, multiple skull fractures, a broken pelvis, and holes in his lung and kidney. A Caring Bridge update this week says Hite is showing hopeful signs as he’s opened his eyes for the first time after coming out of a medical coma.

The post says Hite was three weeks from retirement when the crash happened.

Iowa City police have not confirmed Hite’s identity and have said very little about the crash, not even issuing a news release on it. After TV9 reached out, Iowa City Police said a pedestrian was hit by a car shortly after 4:00 pm at Melrose Ave and Kennedy Parkway, just west of Iowa City West High School. Police say the pedestrian suffered “serious injuries” and the driver was not injured.

Several viewers have reached out to TV9 since the crash wondering why more information on the crash has not been shared.

Iowa City Police denied an open records request specifically asking for the names of those involved, electing to keep any other details secret as part of an ongoing police investigation.

That is in contrast with a fatal crash in Iowa City on Saturday where we knew the names of two 17-year-old drivers hurt and the 22-year-old driver who was killed by the next day. According to investigators, the two teenage drivers ran a stop sign at Court Street and Seventh Avenue and hit a car, killing 22-year-old Jennifer Russell of Waterloo.

That fatal crash is being handled by the Iowa State Patrol, which routinely releases the narratives and names of people involved in crashes, sometimes the same day, even when there is an ongoing investigation.

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