Linn County Man Killed During Tree Cleanup Accident

The man who was killed in an accident in Cedar Rapids Tuesday afternoon has been identified.

74-year-old Richard Shanahan of Springville was assisting another man in the cleanup of downed trees in Linn County when he was accidentally run over by a skid loader involved in the work.

According to a release from the Linn County Sheriff's Office, sheriff's deputies, Marion Fire, Area Ambulance, and Lifeguard all responded to 1774 Cottage Grove Parkway Tuesday afternoon, January 12, just before 1:20 p.m. When emergency personnel arrived, they found that Shanahan had been partially backed over by the operator of a Bobcat skid loader. Shanahan was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

On December 11, 2020, a 24-year-old man was seriously injured when a tree, damaged by the August 10 derecho, fell on him in northwest Cedar Rapids. The early-afternoon accident left the man's lower torso pinned under the tree. Iowa's News Now reported at the time that the man had to be extricated using special equipment. The accident happened when the large oak tree he was attempting to remove rotated, falling towards him. The man was seriously injured in the accident.

One person was killed in Cedar Rapids the day the derecho hit eastern Iowa. 63-year-old Thomas Rowland of Solon was struck by a falling tree on the bike trail near Ely Road and Wright Brothers Boulevard. He passed away at the scene, according to the Gazette.