Driver of grain truck dies after colliding with train in western Iowa
One person was killed in a western Iowa crash that involved a grain truck and a freight train Wednesday.
The truck and Iowa Interstate Railroad train collided at a crossing south of Walnut at about 2:30 p.m., and the train dragged the truck and trailer about 150 yards, according to the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office.
The driver of the grain truck, Ronald Huntoon, 54, of Council Bluffs, was killed in the crash, which caused at least two train cars to derail. The truck was hauling a grain product used in the production of ethanol.
The rail crossing has signals, which appeared to be working when the crash occurred, according to information from the sheriff's office.
Preliminary data from the Iowa Department of Transportation shows at least two other fatal traffic crashes involving trains in 2022. There were four such fatal accidents in 2021 and none in 2020, Iowa DOT said.
Through July 7, 164 people have died in traffic crashes in Iowa this year, an increase of 4 people from the same period last year, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation, which reports that more than 350 people died in traffic crashes in Iowa last year.
Des Moines Register reporter Francesca Block contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Walnut, Iowa, truck vs. train crash kills Council Bluffs man
