WESTGATE, Iowa – A female passenger was seriously injured over the weekend after she was ejected from a utility vehicle.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office says it responded to a one-vehicle accident at around 11:36 am Saturday. It happened on T Avenue near 90 th Street, roughly one mile south of Westgate.

Deputies say Shawn Allen Phillips, 39 of Hudson, was driving north in a 2024 Can Am Defender XT when the wind blew open the passenger door. The passenger, Cara Christine Conroy, 41 of Hudson, was not wearing a seat belt. Deputies say Conroy grabbed the door to try and keep it closed and was thrown from the vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Office says Conroy suffered life threatening injuries and was taken to MercyOne in Oelwein. She was later flown to University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa

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