Driver Airlifted, State Trooper/Lawmaker Injured in Pursuit Crash Near Hudson

A high-speed, multi-county pursuit late Friday night ended in a violent head-on collision  north of Hudson, seriously injuring one man and sending an Iowa State Trooper and State  Representative Joshua Meggers to the hospital.  

According to the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began around 9 p.m. on  Oct. 3 when dispatchers received a report of an intoxicated male at Casey’s General Store in  Grundy Center. Before officers arrived, the man — later identified as Cory DeVries, 24, of  Grundy Center — left the parking lot at a high rate of speed.  

Deputies soon located the vehicle traveling on rural gravel roads, where speeds  reached up to 120 mph. The pursuit continued across Grundy County, with officers temporarily  losing sight of the suspect multiple times due to heavy dust and poor visibility. A Black Hawk  County deputy later deployed stop sticks near Highway 63 and Ranchero Road, successfully  deflating three of the vehicle’s tires.  

Despite the damage, DeVries continued driving southbound on Highway 63 near  Hudson, swerving across lanes while running on rims. At approximately 10:30 p.m., the 2007  Chevrolet Monte Carlo crossed the centerline in the 1800 block of Sergeant Road and collided  head-on with a fully marked Iowa State Patrol Tahoe driven by Trooper Joshua Meggers. The  patrol vehicle’s emergency lights were activated at the time of impact.  

Meggers, who also serves as the Iowa State Representative for House District 54,  representing Hardin and Grundy counties as well as parts of Black Hawk County, was  transported by Hudson Ambulance to MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. DeVries was extricated from his vehicle by Hudson Fire and EMS  personnel and airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City with serious  injuries.  

According to the Iowa State Patrol, both drivers’ lives were likely saved by wearing  seatbelts.  

Authorities confirmed that charges against DeVries are pending.  

Responding agencies included the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, Black Hawk County  Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Hudson Police Department, Hudson Fire and EMS, Waterloo  Police Department, Waterloo Fire Rescue, and Rassmussen Towing.  

Meggers has since returned home and is recovering.