NEWTON — An Iowa man was killed Tuesday afternoon, November 10, 2026, when his car collided with a locomotive at a rural Jasper County railroad crossing northeast of Newton — the same crossing where another train struck a vehicle just over four months earlier.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Carl J. Benskin, 43, of rural Laurel, Iowa.
According to Sheriff Brad Shutts, the Jasper County Communications Center received an emergency call at approximately 1:40 p.m. reporting a collision between a passenger vehicle and a locomotive at the Iowa Interstate Railroad crossing on County Highway T-12 North near North 39th Avenue East.
The Iowa State Patrol’s preliminary crash report indicates Benskin was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu southbound on County Highway T-12 when he failed to stop at the railroad crossing and collided with an eastbound locomotive.
The impact ejected Benskin from the vehicle, leaving him partially pinned underneath the wreckage, according to the sheriff’s office.
Emergency responders immediately began lifesaving efforts, but the injuries proved fatal. Benskin was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was the only occupant of the Chevrolet Malibu. The locomotive’s operator was not injured.
The collision forced authorities to close the roadway while emergency crews worked at the scene and investigators examined the circumstances of the crash. The road reopened at approximately 4:20 p.m., nearly three hours after the initial emergency call.
The Iowa State Patrol is leading the investigation, assisted by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Newton Fire Department, Newton Police Department and Jasper County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The fatal collision raises renewed attention to a crossing that was the scene of another serious train-related accident earlier this year.
On June 29, 2026, a motorist waiting for a train at the same Highway T-12 and North 39th Avenue East crossing was struck from behind by another vehicle, sending his car onto the tracks directly into the path of an approaching locomotive.
As NorthIowaToday.com reported following that June railroad crossing collision, 29-year-old George Makulu of Marshalltown had stopped his Dodge Dart at the flashing railroad crossing signals when another driver rear-ended his vehicle.
Makulu managed to escape from his car as the train struck and pushed it down the tracks. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Tuesday’s fatality occurred at the same crossing, although the circumstances described by investigators were different. Authorities have not indicated that the two incidents are related or identified any equipment malfunction contributing to Tuesday’s crash.
The November 10 collision is also another fatal incident involving an Iowa Interstate Railroad locomotive this year.
In June, NorthIowaToday.com reported that a 14-year-old boy died when a semi-truck collided with an Iowa Interstate Railroad train near Victor. That crash injured the truck driver and resulted in a substantial train derailment.
A preliminary tally based on Iowa Department of Transportation crash records showed 250 traffic fatalities statewide through November 10, compared with 237 at the same point in 2025. The figures remain subject to revision as crash investigations and fatality reports are completed.
The State Patrol has not announced whether citations or any additional findings will result from its investigation of the Jasper County collision.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office documented the incident under accident number 26-37606. The investigation remains ongoing.