Unattended Tractor Rolls Down Hill, Kills Woman at Northern Iowa Beach

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa - A woman from Eau Claire, Wisconsin is dead from injuries after being struck by a tractor on a beach in northern Iowa.

A news release from the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office says 21-year-old Mercedes Kohlhardt died at the scene near a beach at Clear Lake State Park Tuesday afternoon.

The release says that an unattended tractor, owned by the State of Iowa, rolled down a hill adjacent to the beach, and hit Kohlhardt while she was sitting nearby.

The mishap is still under investigation.