Iowa football: No violations in posting of collision video

[ 3 ] September 1, 2010 | Lee Hermiston

The Iowa City Police Department has determined that no criminal violations occurred in the online posting of a dash camera video showing University of Iowa football player Josh Koeppel colliding with a truck Monday morning.

The video ended up on the Internet about 48 hours later and went viral after several websites, including ESPN.com and Huffington Post, posted links to it.

Koeppel was even scheduled to appear on the CBS Early Show this morning, UI football coach Kirk Ferentz announced on his radio show Wednesday.

A review of the circumstances by Iowa City police determined that Koeppel asked for, and was provided, a copy of the video by the Iowa City Police Department.

When he showed the video to friends, some recorded it on their cell phones, and the video made its way to the Internet, police said in a statement.

There is no criminal violation for posting the video, which was determined to be a public record.

Koeppel was westbound on Burlington Street on his Yamaha motorcycle, crossing the intersection with Gilbert Street, at 7:25 a.m. At the same time, a Ford F-150 pickup was eastbound on Burlington. A police officer who witnessed the crash said the driver attempted to make a left-hand turn onto Gilbert Street and collided with Koeppel in the intersection.

The collision was recorded by the officer’s dash camera video. The 4-second video shows Koeppel entering the intersection, being hit by the truck and flipping backward, landing on his shoulder or back in the street. As the video ends, Koeppel is beginning to get back on his feet.

Koeppel was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and later released. Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz said Koeppel is up and walking around, but likely will not play in Saturday’s home opener against Eastern Illinois.

The driver of the pick-up, John Logan of Iowa City, was issue a traffic citation for failing to yield while making a left turn, a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $100.