Harrisburg student killed in Iowa crash
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
EDITOR’S NOTE: The headline has been corrected to remove an erroneous mention of the older Orton,
A Harrisburg student was killed Wednesday when a train hit his father’s semi-truck in Iowa.
Robert Orton, 14, was killed when a 2015 Kenworth truck driven by Michael Orton, 38, of Palmyra, Missouri, crossed tracks in front of a train on Highway 21 in Poweshiek County, according to an Iowa State Patrol crash report.
The crash happened near Victor, Iowa, between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.
Robert Orton was pronounced dead at the scene. Michael Orton was flown to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Harrisburg Middle School Principal Jeff Wardrip wrote in a message to families that Orton was entering the ninth grade.
The train conductor and engineer each suffered minor injuries, the report states.