A late-night drive down a quiet country road ended in disaster this past weekend in rural Scott County. Nolan Crowell, 18, of Davenport, and Jace Geissinger, 19, of McCausland, lost their lives late Saturday night when another driver ran straight through a stop sign and broadsided their car. The crash happened just before midnight at a dark farmland intersection between McCausland and Long Grove.
It was right around 11:35 p.m. when the two young men were heading north along 210th Avenue, also known as Utica Ridge Road. They were riding in a white 2009 Mazda 6 with the right-of-way, traveling the familiar stretch of road that cuts through eastern Iowa farmlands. Everything changed in a split second as they reached the intersection at 290th Street.
According to sheriff deputies, a black 2011 Chevrolet Impala coming east down 290th Street failed to yield at the posted stop sign. The Impala slammed directly into the side of the Mazda at full speed. The force of the collision shoved both vehicles off the roadway, throwing them into the northeast yard of a private property.
First responders rushed to the scene after nearby residents called in the wreck. When emergency crews arrived, they found both cars resting on private land with severe structural damage. Paramedics examined Crowell and Geissinger, but both teenagers died at the scene.
News of the crash hit the local area hard on Sunday as friends and neighbors learned about the deaths. Crowell grew up in Davenport, while Geissinger lived just a few miles down the road in McCausland. Both were well known around town, leaving families and friends grieving two young men who had their whole lives ahead of them.
Meanwhile, four teenagers inside the Impala managed to survive the impact. Investigators noted that the driver was a 17-year-old from Clinton, accompanied by three passengers aged 16, 17, and 19. All four suffered injuries and were taken by medics and helicopters to local hospitals, where officials listed them in stable condition.
The Scott County Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigation Team remains on the case, working to reconstruct the exact speed and circumstances leading up to the missed stop sign. For the families in Davenport and McCausland, the sudden loss of Nolan and Jace remains a heavy burden that has deeply affected the rural community.
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