A mother and her child were airlifted to a Des Moines hospital late last night after their minivan was hit by a train in west-central Iowa. The collision happened around 11:30 p.m. on Grimmell Road in Jefferson.
Investigators say a minivan driven by a 27-year-old woman had mechanical problems and stalled on the train tracks. The railroad gates then closed around the van. A Union Pacific train hit the minivan, which rolled down an embankment and landed on its top. The woman’s five-year-old child was ejected from the vehicle.
The Iowa State Patrol reports the woman had exited the vehicle on her own and was nearby when authorities arrived on the scene. The names and conditions of the mother and child have not been released.