17-year-old killed in collision with train in Washington County

AINSWORTH — A train hit a Ford Fusion in the rural area between Ainsworth and Washington in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 14.

A crash report from the Iowa State Patrol said the car ran a stop sign at the railroad crossing on Spruce Avenue, where it collided with the westbound train and came to a stop in a nearby ditch, shortly before 2 a.m.

The report said the crash remained under investigation, but that there was one fatality. It withheld the person’s name, saying their family had not been notified yet.

A Washington County Call For Service log said dispatchers were initially notified of the incident by an iPhone crash detection alert, and got no response when contacting the phone. The CFS log said the vehicle was driven by a 17-year-old.

An email sent to Washington High School parents Monday afternoon revealed the identity of the driver.

“It is with profound sadness that we inform you of the death of Rowan Ross, a valued member of our senior class,” the email reads. “Rowan died early this morning in a car accident. We regret that we were unable to inform you right away this morning. Please understand this was due to the parent's wishes and giving them time to notify necessary family members and work through this difficult situation.”

The district acknowledged the news would be “deeply upsetting” and assured parents school counselors would be available for students throughout the day for support.

“Rowan was a kind and thoughtful classmate who will be deeply missed by all who knew her,” the email stated.

Railroad employees were seen later Monday morning putting back up a crossing sign they said was knocked over in the collision. The intersection does not have a crossing signal.

Train traffic has steadily grown in Southeast Iowa in the last year and a half, after regulators approved a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads in March of 2023, establishing the new CPKC Railroad.

Leading up to the acquisition, the companies said they expected an over 300% increase in Washington County’s train traffic by about 2026. The merged railroads established the first single-line track to span the United States, Mexico and Canada, and with Southeast Iowa in the geographic center of the line, communities around Washington and Ainsworth will see a greater increase than anywhere else on the continent.

Federal officials praised Canadian Pacific’s safety record in the months before the merger, saying they didn’t expect the heightened train traffic to have an adverse effect on safety in railroad towns.

“At some point, government has to function, it cannot forever review additional data that comes in,” said Martin Oberman — then the chair of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board — at a press conference announcing the merger’s approval in March of 2023. “I’m confident in saying this data cannot be studied any further. It has been studied until your eyeballs are falling out … there is no factual basis to conclude that the merger will worsen safety.”

CPKC representatives did not immediately return a request for comments sent through the company’s media inquiry portal.

AnnaMarie Kruse contributed to this report.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com