An Iowa sheriff's deputy was killed in an accident on Tuesday. He's the second deputy from the county who has died in the line of duty.

According to a media release from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, 37-year-old Deputy Austin "Melvin" Richardson was killed in a 2-vehicle accident early Tuesday afternoon.

Richardson was traveling north on Highway 275 near 260th Street, between Sidney and Hamburg in rural Fremont County in southwest Iowa, when he collided with a southbound combine that was driven by 64-year-old James Groff.

According to an accident report from the Iowa State Patrol, the left front dual tire of the combine was left of center and was partially in the northbound lane. Richardson struck the tire with his patrol car, skidded sideways, and rolled several times before coming to rest on the driver's side. The accident remains under investigation.

Richardson, below, was killed in the crash. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

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According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Richardson started in law enforcement in 2007 with the police department in Auburn, Nebraska. He began working for the Sidney Iowa Police Department in 2011 and started as a Deputy Sheriff with the Fremont County Sheriff's Office in 2015.

Austin "Melvin" Richardson is the second Fremont County Deputy Sheriff killed in the line of duty. The Iowa State Sheriffs' & Deputies' Association's Fallen Heroes page indicates the first was Deputy Gilbert G. Androy who was killed in 1997. Androy was unaware of steps leading to a basement when he responded to a domestic abuse call. When Androy fell, he suffered serious head injuries that resulted in his death.

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