MASON CITY – A Mason City man is in jail, charged with felony drunk driving after crashing his vehicle into a train.
Monday morning, September 2 at 1:48 AM, Mason City police officers responded to a vehicle that had collided with a train in the 500 block of 6th Street SW. Police say a 1999 Dodge Dakota was eastbound when it collided with a Union Pacific train traveling north. The owner and driver of the Dodge Dakota, 42-year-old Matthew Bernhardt of Mason City, was taken to Mercy One and treated for injuries.
A Mason City police department spokesman tells NIT Friday that Bernhardt was arrested on September 13, 2019 in connection to this incident.
“Officers conducted an investigation into the incident following the crash. Bernhardt had been observed drinking by officers in a licensed liquor establishment. He had signs of drinking and impairment at the crash scene after hitting the train. Officers applied for a search warrant and obtained a blood sample for testing with resulted in excess of 0.08. This is third offense OWI (a felony). Bernhardt was also charged with failure to stop at a railroad crossing.”
Bernhardt remained in jail Friday, awaiting a court appearance.
