CLERMONT — An 83-year-old Northern Iowa woman had to be rescued from her wrecked car after a violent rear-end collision in Fayette County on Friday, November 6, 2026, leaving her with life-threatening injuries and requiring an emergency medical flight to Wisconsin.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at approximately 4:26 p.m. reporting a two-vehicle crash in the 4000 block of Harding Road, about one mile west of Clermont.
Investigators determined that Karen Laura Kerner, 83, of West Union, was driving a silver 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LT westbound when she partially pulled off the westbound roadway and stopped.
According to the sheriff’s office, Kerner’s stationary Chevrolet was struck from behind by a gray 2019 Cadillac XT5 Luxury driven by Gary James Berns, 69, of Hawkeye, who was also traveling westbound.
The impact left Kerner trapped inside her badly damaged car, forcing emergency crews to use mechanical extrication equipment to free her.
Authorities described Kerner’s injuries as life-threatening.
After rescuers removed her from the wreckage, Kerner was transported to Gundersen Emplify Hospital in West Union. She was subsequently flown by medical helicopter to La Crosse, Wisconsin, for additional treatment.
Berns suffered minor injuries and was also transported to Gundersen Emplify Hospital in West Union.
Both the Chevrolet Cobalt and Cadillac XT5 were declared total losses.
The serious Fayette County accident brought a substantial emergency response involving firefighters, ambulance crews, law enforcement officers and specialized crash investigators.
Assisting the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office were the Clermont Fire Department, Clermont Ambulance, Elgin Fire Department, Elgin Ambulance, Gundersen Emplify Ambulance, West Union Police Department and Iowa State Patrol.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Technical Collision Investigation Unit also responded to examine the crash.
The collision follows several other serious Northern Iowa traffic accidents in which emergency personnel have been called upon to rescue injured motorists.
In May, a serious Northern Iowa crash destroyed two vehicles and injured multiple people, including a woman who suffered life-threatening injuries and required emergency air transportation. Another driver had to be mechanically extricated from a damaged vehicle.
In July, two drivers were seriously injured in a collision near Oran after a failure to yield led to a violent crash.
And in August, a Northern Iowa teenager suffered serious injuries when a pickup struck a livestock trailer on a dusty rural roadway.
Those collisions were separate incidents and are not connected to Friday’s crash near Clermont.
Authorities have not announced any citations or criminal charges stemming from the Harding Road collision.
The sheriff’s office has not provided an updated medical condition for Kerner following her transfer to Wisconsin.
The November 6 crash remains under investigation by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.
(TOP PHOTO via the sheriff’s office.)