Fairfield man hit by train

AVERY — A Fairfield man suffered serious injuries after the garbage truck he was riding in collided with a train in Monroe County last week.

According to an accident report from the Iowa State Patrol, Kyle Vincent Redinger, 33, of Fairfield, suffered “serious life-threatening injuries” during a collision at 11:32 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27 northwest of the town of Avery, between Albia and Ottumwa. The garbage truck Redinger was riding in collided with an Amtrak passenger train, carrying two engines and eight cars.

The collision occurred at the railroad crossing on 160th Street, east of 695th Avenue in a rural part of Monroe County. Redinger was taken by Mercy One Air helicopter to a Mercy Hospital. The driver of the Amtrak train, Jennifer Harvey, 49, of Gretna, Nebraska, suffered minor injuries and refused medical care.

The accident report indicates that “For an unknown reason, [Redinger’s vehicle] failed to yield at the marked railroad crossing,” entered the intersection, and was struck by the Amtrak train. The driver of the train attempted to brake, but was unable to avoid the garbage truck, striking it in the passenger side. Redinger was ejected from the vehicle.

A member of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office told The Union that the railroad crossing at that location has a yield sign but no stop arm.