TOLEDO – At about 4:14 p.m. on Monday, Tama County Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a single vehicle accident in the 2800 block of N Avenue, just outside Toledo. A local farmer reported that a vehicle had gone into the ditch and the driver was injured and possibly trapped.

Chief Deputy Joe Quandt was the first to arrive on scene. Deputies Brandon Boldt and Jacob Murphy arrived shortly after, around the same time as Toledo EMS. The vehicle had left the roadway and struck a steep culvert near a creek.

The crash site could not be seen from the road. You had to walk to the edge of the culvert to even spot the vehicle. Two farmers working in a nearby field, less than 100 feet away, saw the crash happen and immediately called for help.

“Their quick response was critical. Without them, the accident may not have been discovered right away,” Sheriff Casey Schmidt said.

Because of the severity of the driver’s injuries, deputies applied tourniquets and began providing care. They assisted the Toledo Fire Department and Toledo EMS in stabilizing the scene and caring for the patient.

“In rural areas like Tama County, deputies are often first to arrive or arrive alongside EMS. That is why they are trained and equipped with medical tools like tourniquets. While we cannot say for certain that the tourniquets saved the driver’s life, they likely played an important role in keeping the situation from getting worse,” Schmidt added.

The driver was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Their condition is not known at this time.

“This incident is a clear example of how important teamwork is in emergency response. The quick actions of our deputies, the farmers who were in the right place at the right time, and the efforts of the Toledo Fire Department and Toledo EMS all came together when it mattered most,” Schmidt said.