An 18 year old Council Bluffs woman has been cited after police say she was on her cell phone when she struck and injured a man in the 600 block of N. 28th Street Thursday night.
Sergeant Jason Bailey tells news 18 year old Kayleigh Severn told police say was checking her phone around 10:20 p.m. when she drove off the road, struck the 36 year old man and then hit a tree.
Severn told police say was unaware she had struck anything other than the tree until she stopped her car, got out and saw witnesses tending to the man.
Police said Severn told officers she believed she was traveling around the speed limit, 25 mph, when the crash occurred. She could face a $100 fine if convicted.
The man was taken to Jennie Edmundson Hospital, where he was treated for possible head injuries and released.
She was cited for unlawful use of an electronic device. Meanwhile Bailey is urging all drivers to put down their phones while behind the wheel.
"In this case it's fortunate he only suffered minor injuries as a result of the accident," Bailey says. "Any type of crash that results in a fatality and you were deemed at fault and you were on your phone, it's considered motor vehicle homicide in Iowa and you face up to ten years in prison. There isn't a phone call or a message that's worth ten years in prison"