UPDATE (10 p.m. 3/18/2026)
Lester, Iowa — Authorities have released the identity and some of the details of a pickup versus train crash near Lester on Tuesday, March 17th, 2026.
The Iowa State Patrol reports that at about 12:30 p.m., 39-year-old Kyle Madetzke of Baltic, South Dakota, was driving a 2026 Ford pickup westbound on 110th Street, northwest of Lester. They tell us that BNSF locomotive number 7141 was pulling a train southbound on the BNSF railroad tracks.
The report says that for some reason, Madetzke failed to yield to the train, which struck his vehicle in the passenger side, flipping it over onto its top, where it caught on fire.
Madetzke was pronounced dead on the scene. No railroad workers reported any injuries.
Madetzke’s Ford pickup sustained $65,000 in damages, and BNSF’s locomotive sustained $20,000 in damages.
The Lyon County Secondary Roads Department, Trackside Towing, and BNSF Railway personnel assisted on the scene, as did deputies from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters from the Lester Fire Department.
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First Update:
Lester, Iowa — One person has died as a result of a crash near Lester on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
The Iowa State Patrol reports that at about 12:30 p.m., someone was driving a 2026 Ford pickup westbound on 110th Street, northwest of Lester. They tell us that they have not yet identified the driver who was the victim of the crash. A railroad locomotive pulling a train was southbound on the BNSF railroad tracks.
The report says that the pickup driver failed to yield to the southbound train, which collided with the pickup at the crossing. The pickup rolled and caught fire. Its driver was pronounced deceased at the scene.
No other injuries were reported.
The trooper’s report says the crash remains under investigation.
The Lyon County Secondary Roads Department, Trackside Towing, and BNSF Railway personnel assisted on the scene, as did deputies from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters from the Lester Fire Department.
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Original Story posted at 4:01 p.m. on March 17th, 2026:
Lester, Iowa — Lester emergency crews responded to the report of a vehicle versus train crash northwest of Lester on Tuesday.
The call was in the 2100 block of 110th Street, about four miles north and a mile west of Lester. The caller stated the vehicle was on fire.
Further details are few at this hour, but authorities confirm it was a fatal crash, and that the Iowa State Patrol is investigating. The railroad in that area is the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line that runs from Willmar, Minnesota, to Sioux City.
We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
KIWA Staff Photo
