PV softball players injured in I-80 crash

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By Barb Ickes | Saturday, July 7, 2007 5:53 PM CDT | () comments

An assistant coach from Pleasant Valley High School is credited with saving six softball players from serious injury or death with her handling of a rollover accident Friday morning on Interstate 80 near Iowa City.

Amy LaBarge was released Friday afternoon from University Hospitals in Iowa City, where she and the six teenage girls were taken after the accident that resulted from a tire blowing out. One player, who was ejected from the westbound sport utility vehicle that LaBarge was driving, remained hospitalized Friday night for observation, LaBarge said.

The assistant coach recalled the accident. “We crossed over into the oncoming lanes and we could see vehicles coming at us. ‘Oh, my God,’ I thought, ‘we got to get over.’ We went back across the median. That’s when we flipped,” LaBarge said.

“When we came to rest, my first instinct was ‘Is everyone else OK?’ I realized I was OK, even though I was hanging upside down in my seatbelt,” she said. “I got everyone to talk to me so I know everyone is OK.”

Scott Stephenson, whose daughter, Sammy, is a starting pitcher, said several of the players’ parents spoke with LaBarge before she was released from the hospital.

“We assured her she saved our kids’ lives,” he said.

Sammy Stephenson told her parents the Suburban in which part of the team was riding was “halfway into the eastbound lane” and heading directly into oncoming traffic when LaBarge somehow managed to pull the disabled vehicle back into the median.

Stephenson, a 17-year-old who will begin her senior year this fall, required 16 stitches to close a cut near her shoulder.

“It’s her pitching arm, unfortunately,” her father said. “She and all the other girls, except for Ace (D’Auben), were wearing seat belts.”

D’Auben remained hospitalized late Friday. Details about her condition were not available, but none of her injuries were described as critical.

Scott Stephenson said he and his wife were among several parents traveling in a caravan to the Urbandale Softball Classic near Des Moines when cell phones began ringing Friday morning.

“We were right there at the Iowa City exit when we got the call, so we actually got to the hospital before they did,” he said of the injured players. “It was not fun to get that call.

“But we got reports that there were no life-threatening injuries, so all of us parents were relieved. Cell phones are great, aren’t they?”

Pleasant Valley Superintendent Jim Spelhaug also credited LaBarge for her actions, saying the situation could have been much worse.

“The indication we have is she handled it very, very well,” he said. “Obviously, we feel very fortunate, very blessed. It’s one reason we use the Suburban. They’re big, heavy vehicles.

Both the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa County Sheriff’s Department responded to the accident, which occurred about 9 a.m.

“We transport kids a lot — put on a lot of miles,” Spelhaug said. “This is the kind of thing you worry about.”

The superintendent said he expects the team members eventually will be disappointed by their withdrawal from the Urbandale tournament, but added that he thinks the six in the SUV that crashed were still in shock Friday afternoon.

“We, of course, cancelled,” he said of the games. “The priority is making sure everyone’s OK. Some of it may not have hit them yet.

“I’m sure they’ll have some moments when they’ll need some comfort and support.”

Stephenson said his daughter was already talking Friday about getting back on the field, but he said the long-term effects of her injury are not yet known.

Spelhaug said school officials will review travel policies, but it is not likely the crash will prompt any changes, adding, “We pay close attention to our vehicle maintenance.”

The type of SUV involved in the accident has an eight-passenger capacity. Spelhaug was not certain how many players were in a second Suburban, nor did he know how many of the 18 players on the team’s roster were making the overnight trip.

Meanwhile, LaBarge was in her LeClaire home recovering Friday night. “We can deal with bumps and bruises. We’ll heal,” she said. “In a few days, we’ll be ready to get back out and play some softball.”

Barb Ickes can be contacted at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.